


If Things Had Been Different...

by Emme2589



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Claire Lives, Familial Love, Flashbacks, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Time Travel, luke talks to cute animals, some romance but it’s not a focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-10-25 16:50:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20727539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emme2589/pseuds/Emme2589
Summary: Layton thinks his latest mystery will be solved relatively quickly when he receives an odd letter, but when it instead leads him on a journey through time, he realizes there might be more to it than he thought. (Full-Fledged Unwound Future/Lost Future AU.)





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a mostly peaceful few years. Hershel Layton moved back to London, went back to school, and eventually became an archeology professor at Gressenheller University. He was known mostly for his lectures, though his name had also made the papers a few times for solving mysteries, as he was a bit of an amateur investigator.

Still, he preferred to stay at home when he could, especially after he got married.

Layton stared at the letter in his hand until the words began to blur together. He had a relatively normal Sunday morning until he received this letter. It was a letter he had not been expecting in a million years.

It was a letter from Luke, except it was rather...enigmatic.

“Hershel?” his wife, Claire, poked her head into the living room, “What are you doing?”

Layton shook himself from his daze, “Ah, I seem to have spaced out. What did you say?”

“I was just asking why you're staring at that letter. It's not going to catch on fire, you know.”

“Well, erm...” Layton folded the letter up. The words didn't change, “It truly is an odd letter.”

“Oh?” Claire sat on the couch beside him, “How so?”

Layton hesitated, but he handed the folded paper to her, “See for yourself.”

Claire unfolded the letter to read it. The post said it had been delivered that morning.

_Professor,_  
It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry I haven't been visiting much, but I simply haven't had the time to visit. I think about you a lot, though.  
I want you to come and visit. Meet me at Big Ben tomorrow at eight am. I look forward to seeing you again.  
Are you up for a puzzle?  
Your apprentice, Luke Triton. 

As Claire read, her expression became...oddly intense. She seemed resigned, almost angry. Layton had known her for a long time, but he couldn't explain what kind of thought process she was going through.

He gently took her shoulder, “Claire?”

She snapped out of it, “Sorry. I was just thinking. This is quite curious. Didn't we see Luke yesterday?”

Layton looked away to stop himself staring at the letter, “Precisely.” Luke had been over for lunch the previous day after both adults got off of work, “Why would he be reminiscing in this way?”

Claire set the letter on the coffee table, “Is this Luke's handwriting?”

“It is, but it does seem a bit off. I'm glad you noticed.” Layton rested his chin in his hands, “It's just close enough that I can tell it was written by Luke, but I've never seen him write so neat, even when he's writing slowly.”

“Hm...” Claire smiled, “Sounds like a case for the great Professor Layton!”

“Can I ask you to stop saying that every time I come across something even remotely puzzling?” Layton got up to head for the kitchen, “You don't have work today, do you?”

“No. The lab is closed today.” Claire stood to follow him, “Why? Are we going somewhere?”

“If you feel up for it.” Layton put the kettle on the stove, “We're going to visit the Triton residence.”

The two of them were alone in the house at the moment, as Flora was in town. They finished their tea before they left, taking their seats in the Laytonmobile and driving down London's city streets.

Layton had lived here with Claire since a few months after he got his teaching job at Gressenheller. It had been about five years since then. Claire had been in an explosion at the lab that put her in a coma for several months. She made a full recovery after that, with the only indication of the accident from a large white scar that stretched from her ear to her forehead, disappearing behind her hairline. She was a bit self-conscious about it, but Layton assured her that she was just as beautiful as she always was.

Claire was staring out the window as it began to rain, her forehead resting on the glass.

“We're here.” Layton parked the car, “I hope Clark is home.”

Clark and Brenda were Luke's parents, and old friends of Layton and Claire. The Triton residence was a humble home near the border of London, on a stretch of road known as Flatstone Street. Layton quickly ushered Claire from the car to the porch, trying to evade the rain.

He knocked three times, trying to guess if it would be the family butler Doland, or Clark himself who answered the door.

Evidently, it was the latter, “Hershel! Claire! So good to see you, please come in!”

The house wasn't a mess, but it was clear it hadn't been tidied in a day or two. Brenda was seated on the sofa, scratching her head as she skimmed over one of the many documents piled up on the floor.

She looked up when they entered, “Claire and Hershel!” she set her document down, “I'm sorry, I am happy to see you, but we're in the middle of something at the moment.”

“That's alright. We don't plan to stay for long.” Layton watched Clark sit beside his wife, “We simply wanted to ask if Luke was here?”

Clark's face fell as he returned to rifling through documents, “So he's not with you?”

That was when Layton realized this might be a deeper rabbit hole than he had initially suspected.

“N-no.” he tapped his chin, “We haven't seen him since lunch yesterday.”

“He sent a letter.” Claire explained, “He asked to meet us at Big Ben around this time. Did he tell you about that at all?”

Brenda shared a glance with Clark, “He said this morning he was going out with a friend, but he didn't specify which one.”

Layton felt a chill run down his spine. It wasn't like Luke to leave so suddenly with anyone, let alone someone he wouldn't even bother to name. Who had Luke escaped with?

“Thank you, Brenda. Clark.” Layton straightened his hat, “We're going after him.”

“Hershel, wait.” Clark suddenly got up from his seat, “Let us go with you.”

“Right now?” Brenda grabbed his arm, “But we have-!”

“All that can wait! Let's go!” Clark called down the hall, “Doland! Don't tidy up the mess in the living room! We're going out!”

_“Hurry back, Master.”_

The four friends made it to the car, and Layton paused to evaluate the clues they had so far.

Claire beamed excitedly as she buckled her seat belt, “Ooh, I know this look! What are you thinking, Hershel?”

Hershel broke from his musings to stare at her, then he looked away, “Ah, well...why don't you pass that letter back to our accomplices?”

“Alright, here.” Claire took the letter from where it sat on the dashboard, “Are we going to Big Ben?”

“Not yet. I have one last stop to make first.”

Clark read the letter twice before handing it to Brenda. Once Brenda was done with it, she gave it back to him. They didn't ask any questions, but Layton knew they had plenty.

He would focus on driving for now, his destination clear in his mind.

***

Big Ben loomed ever closer in the background as Layton parked beside the sidewalk near the playground. He made no move to get out, however. He simply stared into the field of children with a blank expression.

“Hershel,” Clark leaned forward over the seats, “What are we doing here?”

Layton continued to stare ahead as he reached for his seat belt, “There's something I need to check.”

The four adults got out of the vehicle to head down the sidewalk. Claire studied her husband's expression, carefully level as it often was when he was trying to hide what he was feeling. She was confident in being able to read him, but unless she asked, she never knew _exactly_ what he was feeling, or what made him feel that way. She slipped her hand into his, and his expression broke into one of surprise.

“What are you thinking, Hershel?”

His mask returned, “A long time ago, Luke told me that if he ever disappeared, I should check the playground here first, as it's an ideal place for him to go when he wants to be alone.”

Claire frowned, “Why would he tell you that if he wanted to be alone?”

“It's just to make sure I don't worry about him.” Layton stopped at the edge of the field, his eyes open for any signs of the boy. Clark and Brenda said nothing, though they were vigilant in searching as well. Claire crossed her arms, lost in thought.

“It doesn't look like he's here.” Layton fixed his gaze to the ground.

Claire glanced back at the two Tritons, “Hershel?”

“This may be worse than we thought.” Layton began a brisk walk back to the car, “We must consider the possibility that Luke has been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped!?” Brenda grabbed Layton's sleeve to stop him in his tracks, “Hershel, that can't be!”

“We saw him this morning, remember?” Clark stood at his other side, “He left willingly.”

Layton did stop to consider their words, but that knot of dread in his stomach didn't go away.

“Let's get back in the car.” Layton resumed his walk, “Did you actually see the person he left with?”

“No, but he didn't seem afraid.”

Layton got into the car, quickly turning the key in the ignition, “We're going to Big Ben right now. Get in your seats! Quickly!”

Claire put a hand on his arm, “Hershel?”

“Not now.” Layton drove out of the lot as soon as everyone had their seat belts on, “Luke may not be in direct danger, but I fear for his safety nonetheless.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually already had this finished by the time I was writing _Madman,_ but I didn't post it then because I wasn't quite happy with it. I think I've got it worked out now though, so here it is! Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr! (marshemillow.tumblr.com)


	2. Chapter 2

A few months ago, Luke’s mother went missing.

Layton expected Clark to be beside himself with worry, but instead he was stoic and unfeeling. Almost cold. It was so unnerving that Layton suspected he might be an impersonator, but as it turned out, Brenda had just been out on a trip and forgot to tell anyone. Clark hadn't reacted to this news, so he must have known beforehand, but why would he keep it a secret from Layton? The two had been best friends for over a decade. They refused to speak about it further, so Layton was left puzzling over it in the weeks that followed.

It was all very mysterious, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Luke's disappearance had something to do with that incident.

The clock tower was the same as it always was. It wasn't really open to visitors, so Layton was initially confused as to how they could get inside, but today there wasn't even anything stopping them. The door into the wall that connected to the tower was unlocked.

On the way in however, there was another door that was locked with a puzzle.

“Um, Hershel...” Clark watched his friend fiddle with the lock, “If...if Luke's been kidnapped, then who do you think is the kidnapper?”

Layton’s hand slipped on the slider, “I don't know, but they must know who I am, and they know fundamental things about my relationship with Luke.”

Brenda peered over Clark's shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to see properly, “Was that letter written by Luke at all? There was something strange about it.”

“That's what I suspected as well.” Layton finally got the lock to click into place, and he swung the door open, “But I think Luke did write it. He perhaps did it under duress, but I believe it was him who held the pen.”

The stairs of the clock tower stretched high above them, under the shadows from the several meters of blocked sunlight. The clock face was the only shock of light in the whole tower, making the darkness feel even heavier by contrast.

Claire began up the steps first, “How do you think this person managed to stake out Big Ben with a kidnapped child?”

Layton’s gaze traced the spiraling staircase, “I think it's because Luke did go willingly. It wouldn't have looked like a kidnapping to others. This person must have extensive authorization in order to stake out Big Ben, but I can't imagine who it might be.”

When they finally made it to the top, a massive puzzle sat waiting for them. It required four people to solve, and it covered the entire floor behind the clock face. Each tick of her massive hands reverberated in the silence.

There were sixteen switches in total, and they were evenly spaced on the edges of a circle, but they each took a different amount of time to press all the way down. Seven one-second switches, three two-second switches, one three-second switch, and five four-second switches. All of them had to be pressed within a certain time limit, but it didn't say what the time limit was. Layton scrutinized the switches until he came to a realization.

“Let me handle this one, Hershel.” Claire moved to the center of the circle, “Dimitri and I do puzzles like this all the time.”

Dimitri Allen was Claire's best friend. Both were passionate scientists who worked in the same lab.

Layton gladly stepped aside to let her take the lead. She directed Brenda to the switch across from her, one of the four second ones, then she placed herself on another four second switch. Her thought process was that the time limit would start as soon as she stepped off the first switch, as holding it down counted as it being pressed.

Her head still turning, she directed both men to two other four-second switches. There was still one four-second switch that was left unpressed.

That's when she knew she had her answer. The time limit had to be longer than four seconds, or the puzzle would be impossible. Did that mean they didn't have to start the time limit while holding down each switch? No, because there were less than five people, so one person would have to press down on a switch, and then run to a four second switch, which would take even longer. So the question remained; What’s the shortest the time limit could be for the puzzle to still be possible?

Claire grinned, “Don't move yet, but when I say to go, I want Hershel to press those two-second switches and then that one-second switch. Brenda, you take the three-second switch and then the two one-second switches.” she pointed to each switch, close enough to easily run to in less than a second, “Clark will move to that two-second switch and then those three one-second switches. I'll get the last four-second switch, and this one-second switch. Ready!?”

All four of them prepared to bolt. Layton gripped his hat, “Ready!”

“Okay. Three...two...one...GO!”

Click, click, click, click. Each person stood on each switch just long enough for it to be pressed before moving to the next one. Nobody had to pass each other, and nobody got in anyone else's way. The fancy wording made it sound confusing, but the shortest the time limit could be was 5 seconds. Anything lower than that would be impossible.

All sixteen switches fell into the floor, signifying the answer had been found.

“Aha!” Claire playfully pointed at Hershel, “Every puzzle has an answer!”

“Indeed.” Layton tipped his hat to her, “I wasn't expecting any less.”

The four of them huddled together as a soft whining sound filled the tower. They were feeling a strange sensation, as if they were steadily getting heavier.

Layton swayed, his arms out for balance, “What on Earth-!?”

The sensation pushed on them, greater and greater, their ears feeling the pressure as if they were changing altitude. Then, just when they felt so heavy their legs were shaking beneath them, they felt their bodies begin to stretch. Claire looked up into the face of Big Ben, her worst fears confirmed.

The hands on the clock face were speeding up.

“Everyone! Get down!” Claire grabbed everyone to yank them to the ground.

“Ack!” Layton covered his neck once he'd collapsed to his knees, “Claire, what's happening!?”

“No time to explain! _Just stay down!”_

Time felt as if it was coming to a steady crawl. Seconds turned into minutes. Hours. Days. The entire world around them turned completely black, as if they had passed out, then just as suddenly as it had started, it disappeared. _Years. Days. Hours. Minutes._

_Click._

The pressure decreased. The stretching stopped. When Claire was sure it had ended, she got up to look around. Not much had changed within the tower, but the time on Big Ben's face was definitely different.

“Claire?” Brenda grabbed Clark's arm to steady herself, “What was that? Don't tell me...”

She trailed off, leaving them in silence.

A gasp was heard out of nowhere. The gasp of a young child.

_“Not yet. We'd best let them recover first.”_

The voice rang in Layton's ears, “Who's there!?” he shakily got to his feet, still a bit shaky, “Show yourself!”

There were two people in the shadows of the tower, hidden behind the beam of light that shone through the clock face. The first person to step out was instantly recognizable.

Layton was overjoyed, “Luke!”

“Professor!” Luke ran to him, “Mum! Dad!”

He accepted a simultaneous hug from all of them, including Claire, tears of relief in his eyes.

“Luke!” Brenda had her right arm around him, “What did we say about going off with strangers!?”

Luke wiped his eyes on his sleeve, “But he isn't a stranger. In fact, I guarantee you four know him well!”

The second person had yet to step out of the shadows, but from his posture, he looked ready to cry.

Something in Layton’s mind clicked.

Claire stepped closer to the boy, “Who is it, then? Can you tell him to come out?”

Luke gave a nod, “It's okay. You know it's them, don't you?”

The other person relaxed, then he took a couple steps forward.

When the light washed over him, Layton froze, unable to look away.

The person was a young man, probably in his late teens, with light brown hair that curved up in the back. He wore a blue vest with a blue tie, and brown shoes with short laces.

Layton swallowed, “Luke?”

The young man deflated, “Professor...it's you...” he gave him a big hug, _“It's really you...”_

Layton held him in turn. He was only a couple inches shorter than him by now, “You're the one who wrote the letter!”

Luke squeezed him, “Yes. I'm sorry for my handwriting. You must be terribly confused.”

“Um, you could say that.” Layton pulled back to hold the young man's shoulders, “How is this...what's happening?”

The older Luke took a careful step back, “Sorry for the chase. I didn't want to get an impostor, and I know you're drawn to mysteries.”

His gaze was glued to the floor, ignoring the looks from his parents. He inhaled, a blissful yet haunted smile on his face.

“I missed you so much.” he finally shook himself from the break down, “I'm sorry, I just haven't seen you in so long.” he sighed, turning on his heel to pace around the highest floor on the tower, “As you may be able to tell, you're in the future. I am this time's version of Luke Triton. I am him-” referring to the younger Luke, “-five years from now.”

Young Luke stood beside him, “That's right. He came to me one morning, and because he is me, he knew exactly what it would take to prove his identity to me.” he tapped his heart, thinking of his mouse friend from when he was younger, “He knew something that I had only ever told Toppy, so he is the genuine article. He is me.”

Layton was reeling, “C-Claire, did you...?”

“No, I...” her eyes went down to her clasped hands, “We tried to make a time machine once, but it didn't work. Remember?”

The explosion. Layton shuttered.

“But then, how did you get a time machine, Luke?” Layton scratched the back of his head, “As far as I'm aware, Claire and Dimitri had the only one, and it didn't even work.”

Older Luke brushed down the front of his vest, “I know how many questions you must have, and I'll be happy to answer all of them, but not now. We need to get out of here before the enemy can find us.”

“The enemy?” Clark stepped forward this time, “Luke, what are you on about?”

He didn't react well to his father's voice, keeping his head down, “I'll show you. I promise, I'll explain everything, but we have to go.”

Young Luke straightened his shoulder bag, “It's okay, Professor. We can trust him.”

A bead of sweat appeared beneath Layton's hat.

“Do you doubt me?” Older Luke reached into his own bag for something, “How about now?”

Layton held his hand out, and Luke dropped the object into it. It was a custom-made red ocarina. It had a name scratched into one side; Arianna Barde.

Layton looked to the younger Luke, “But...” 

Luke shook his head with a smile, procuring the exact same ocarina from his bag. They were perfectly identical, aside from the small bits of wear on Older Luke's ocarina.

It could have been stolen, but it didn't matter. It still proved they were in the future.

Layton was about to ask another question, but before he could, Older Luke held up his hand. He opened his mouth.

“You once told me that a true gentleman always does the right thing, even if it might hurt for awhile.” he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “That was the day Arianna gave that to me. I got attached to you. I learned that every puzzle has an answer, but more than that...” Luke counted to three in his head, then he closed his eyes.

_“You said.”_ they opened again, fixed intensely on his mentor, _“‘It's alright to be afraid, but fear should not blind you to the solution.’”_

Layton was brought back to that day. Luke was only 10 at the time, and the poor child was petrified of crossing a bridge over a massive chasm. That was when Layton firmly took his shoulders and said those exact words. Luke couldn't control how scared he was, but he could still figure out how to get past it to save his friend.

Layton nearly dropped the instrument, but Luke swiped it just in time, “Please come with me. Everything will be made clear soon.”

Layton gave a stiff nod, “Lead the way.”

Luke made a dash for the staircase, and everyone else followed close behind, with Young Luke near the back of the group to watch for spies that might sneak up behind them.

***


	3. Chapter 3

Future London wasn't too different from normal London. There was a new bookshop, the streets were busier, but it had only been five years according to Future Luke, so changes on a large scale were miniscule. Layton knew the details would be more important here.

Older Luke led the way down the street, “I know five years may not seem like much, but trust me when I say that this London is far more dangerous than the one you know.”

Layton decided to start with his smaller questions first, until they made it to the safehouse, “So Luke, the older one that is, are you seventeen?”

“Yes. Twelve plus five is seventeen. Glad you still remember basic maths.”

Layton snorted, “I'm glad _you_ still have a sense of humor.”

Young Luke straightened his hat, “Where's your cap, older me?”

Older Luke looked across each street as he turned the corner, “I lost it during my mission. I think it might have been stolen, but I'm not sure.”

Young Luke clung tighter to his hat.

Layton noted the street they were on. He knew this street well, as it was on his commute from home to Gressenheller, so each detail was striking to him. It gave him chills.

“Right here.” Older Luke stopped at a clock shop nearby, one that Layton knew wasn't there before. He gave a knock on the door, three quick ones followed by two slow ones. After a moment, the door opened, “Come in.”

The clock shop was filled with clocks, naturally. They each ticked at roughly the same time, but those slight variations just made it sound like they were all ticking all at different times. It was disorienting after falling through a time machine.

The door closed behind them, and a loud gasp was heard.

_“Hershel!”_

Layton turned around, only to realize someone had wrapped their arms around him and kissed him on the lips.

“Claire! Wait!” Older Luke laughed, “He's still confused!”

“Sorry! So sorry!”

Layton was going crazy now, surely? He was just in a weird dream and he would wake up at any moment.

There were now _two_ Claires. One of them - his version from the past - had both hands over her mouth in shock. The one who had opened the door for them was furiously wiping tears from her face.

“Oh my god, I can't believe...” the second Claire sobbed, “You did it, Luke. You actually did it!”

“I couldn't have done it without you.” Older Luke replied, glancing at Layton with a laugh, “Um, I think you broke the Professor.”

Layton's hand slowly lifted up to touch his mouth. His eyes were glazed over. His focus sharpened when he looked up at his companions, just as shocked as he was.

The fingers on his right hand brushed the ring on his left, “Luke. What happened to me.”

It wasn't a question; It was a demand.

“Ah, well...” Older Luke stepped into a back room, “We'll be safe here. Claire, er, my Claire, watch the door for us.”

She nodded, smiling at Layton with watery eyes until the group disappeared behind the wall.

Luke closed the door, “Take a seat. I'll start from the beginning.”

***

_Luke yawned as he watched the clock. Just two more minutes until he could leave. Luke didn't hate being at school, but he was tired, and he didn't like being cooped up inside when the birds were having fun without him._

_There was another reason, however. Some of the birds had told him that there was a strange man that hung around Layton's house. He remembered something, something that happened recently, and he was just hoping and begging for it to not be true. He would ask one of them to go ahead while he caught up on his bike. He was scared, but if this was meant to happen...he wasn't sure what he would do if he was wrong._

_The bell finally rang, and he was allowed to run out._

_“Hey! Raindrop!” a bird flew in from the sky upon being called, “I want you to go ahead to the Professor's house. Can you do that for me?”_

__“Chirp chirp!”__

_“Thank you! I'll see you there.”_

_He kicked out on his bike from the sidewalk, pedaling furiously down the street. He was about halfway back when Raindrop returned with her report._

__“Chirp! Chirp chirp!”__

_Luke pedaled faster, “That strange man again? Are you sure?”_

_Luke's heart was in his stomach. Layton's house finally appeared over the horizon, and Luke leapt from his bike to run to the door. It was locked, so he used the spare key to get inside._

_“Professor?” Luke ventured inside, “Profess-!”_

***

Older Luke covered his face as he stifled a sob. He couldn't continue. This story was simply too painful.

Layton had taken to watching the intricate patterns on the carpet. He had already figured out what must have happened.

Layton stood from his chair to give Older Luke's shoulder a squeeze. He asked calmly, in a low voice, _“Was I a victim of murder?”_

Luke's silence was enough confirmation.

“The man had not been kind in his methods.” he hugged himself, “You had clearly tried to put up a fight. You were covered in wounds. See, Raindrop had told me that she smelled blood near the house, and that the odd man had a knife, but she couldn't see inside as the curtains were drawn.”

Young Luke pulled his hat down over his eyes.

“So that explains why you and Future Claire had such a strong reaction to me.” Layton ran a hand over his face, “Did they ever catch the killer?”

Older Luke chuckled, despite still being in immense pain, “No, but that's why I need your help. The killer was someone from my time who went _back_ in time to kill you before coming back. You seemed to pose a threat to his plan, but as of right now, I have yet to confirm my suspicions.”

“Suspicions?” Young Luke sat up straight, “Wait a minute. You should know _exactly_ who the killer is!”

Older Luke’s eyebrows shot up, “What?”

“I mean, you're me, right?” Young Luke stood up to face his older self, “You've been through this situation already, because you're me in the future! You know how events play out, don't you?”

Older Luke got a devilish smile, “You're exactly right, younger me. I do know almost exactly how events will play out from your perspective. However, the _reason_ I know the identity of the killer is _because_ I went on this adventure to the future with my future self and my living mentor.” his smile fell as his hands went back to his pockets, “If I don't learn things at the right time in the right order, then that would mess with the flow of time, and I'm not willing to risk that any more than I have to. Sorry if I have to omit details for this reason. Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough.”

Young Luke considered this, “Yikes. Time travel is weird.”

“How do you think I feel, kiddo?” Older Luke rubbed at the circles under his eyes, “I've been looking forward to this day for four years.”

Layton crossed his arms, “So I will be murdered a year from now?”

Luke sighed, “Yeah...”

Clark had been quiet until now, but he couldn't hold back this question any longer, “Where are _we_ in the future? Surely you still talk to your own parents.”

Older Luke looked away, hiding his eyes beneath his bangs.

“That's a little complicated.” he began, “Since I started this process of learning quantum physics to understand time travel, you two have steadily drifted apart from me. I still talk to you occasionally, but...” his eyes shone with guilt, “I'm sorry. I never intended it to happen.”

Brenda let her heel dig into the carpet, “You're happy to see us now, I presume?”

“Of course I'm happy to see you. Just not under these circumstances.” Older Luke ruffled his hair, “Anyway, I'm exhausted. Would anyone like a cup of tea?’

He didn't wait for an answer. He simply left for the next room, leaving them all to ponder what they had been told.

***


	4. Chapter 4

Layton continued to stare.

He had just been told that he had less than a year to live. He had a vague idea of why he would be needed here in the future, but he didn't like the idea of confronting his own killer. He didn't like the idea of being here in the future. He didn't want to put Young Luke in danger.

But Older Luke needed his help. He couldn't ignore that in good conscience.

“Here.” Older Luke placed a tea cup in front of him, “You still like Earl Grey?”

“Er, yes of course.” Layton made no move to drink it, however. He wasn't thirsty.

“Here you go, Mum and Dad. Younger Claire.” Older Luke moved to Young Luke, “Me. Extra cream and sugar?”

“Thank you.” Young Luke took a small sip, “Mm. Just how I make it today.”

“If it isn't broken, then don't fix it.” Older Luke massaged his forehead once he'd handed out all the tea cups, including his own.

Layton kept staring, this time into his tea cup.

Older Luke took a peek into the front room before returning to his place, leaning on the wall. He took a sip of his tea, but it hardly relaxed him as it normally would.

Layton decided to break the silence, “So, is there any reason you needed me to be here?”

“Ah, that's right.” Older Luke set his tea down on the end table beside the couch, “Well, it's a long story, so I'll summarize it for you...”

***

_Luke fiddled with his sleeves outside the door of the lab. It had been almost three years since the Professor's murder, but he was still regularly letting his grief blind him. He was only up early this morning because he was plagued with nightmares, but stepping into this lab right now was also not very appealing to him. He had a strong urge to run away._

__Okay, Luke. You can do this._ he told himself, _It's just a little squabble. The Professor's life depends on this.__

_After taking a slow, steadying breath, Luke pushed the door open._

_The tension was still palpable in the room, just as it was the previous day. Dimitri Allen and Bill Hawks were glaring daggers at each other every time they made eye contact, while Claire sat at her desk, tapping her pencil on a sheet of equations. Her other hand drifted up to her scar as she turned her head away from the two angry men._

_Luke knelt beside her chair, his voice a soft whisper, _“Has it been really bad?”__

_Claire shook her head, _“Not as bad as yesterday, though I fear it won't last long.”__

_Luke glanced back at them. Allen was testing the large machine for cracks while Hawks repaired a core that had fried in their initial experiment. They're movements were slowing, however. Luke prepared to step between them should a fight break out._

__“Just try to keep working. I'll handle this.”_ Luke stood as he loosened the neck of the shirt beneath his sweater._

__“Luke, don't. You've been the mediator for too long, let me handle it this time.”__

_Luke cringed, _“No, please. I started this, so it's my responsibility. Besides, you've been through plenty already, and a gentleman does whatever it takes to help a lady.”__

_Claire smiled, tears in her eyes, _“You sound just like him. He would be proud of you.”__

_Luke said nothing as he left her side._

_Allen finally finished his maintenance, slamming the hatch on it shut. Hawks kept his eyes down as he worked on the core._

_Allen kept his composure, “Bill?”_

_He received a rough grunt in reply._

_“Would you like my help with that?” Allen gave Luke a subtle nod, “It never hurts to have another perspective.”_

_Hawks glanced at him through his thick square glasses, “I got it.”_

_Luke was grateful that they were trying to be courteous, but he didn't dare drop his guard._

_“Okay.” Allen made a few notes on the blueprints he'd written with Claire, “Let me know when it's ready to go.”_

_Luke watched as Hawks sautered the last two wires, closing it up and sticking it into the side of the machine. Luke knelt on the ground to take the power cables, “Ready?”_

_Claire wiggled her mouse to take her computer out of sleep mode, “Almost...”_

_Allen and Hawks didn't look at each other. Luke swallowed._

_“Okay! Ready!”_

_Luke held each cord in his hands, “Here goes. Please let this work...”_

_His heart was pounding. This was the deciding factor. If he didn't get it this time, they would have to try again from the beginning, as they already had countless times._

_Luke held his breath as he connected the cables. The machine whirred to life, and Allen lifted the apple from the tray on the counter to place in the chamber. The hatch began to glow, signalling that everyone should stand back. Claire watched as each line of her code flickered across her screen. The apple began to warp, growing increasingly more red overtime. A black circle closed around it, and-!_

_Luke waited for the next step, but it never came. The black circle had disappeared too quickly, and the apple was exactly where it had started._

_Luke bit down on his hand to prevent him from crying out in frustration. What were they doing wrong? Why wouldn’t the wormhole stay open?_

_Allen moved to stand beside Claire, “What happened?”_

_Claire read over the diagnostic error. It was the same error they'd been getting for months._

_“Um...” Claire wrapped a strand of hair around her finger, “It's the...uh...exotic matter...”_

_“Of course it is. It's _always_ the exotic matter.” Hawks growled._

_“Uh, it's fine.” Luke was getting a headache, “We can't just give up. Let's head back to the hub and-!”_

_“And what, Triton?” Hawks never yelled when he was angry, but it always made Luke feel much smaller than he was, “We've been at this for almost a year, and we're no closer to finding the exotic matter we're looking for. If the wormhole can't even grow big enough to hold an apple then what makes you think four people can fit?”_

_Luke grit his teeth, a fire alighting in his chest, “We will keep going, Bill. We keep going until we find the answer. I know we will find it.”_

_“No, you_ don't _Triton.” Hawks slammed on the counter, “You don't know anything. This time travel thing is just a fantasy."_

_“No, you don't understand! I-!”_

_“I've had enough of this, just drop it."_

_Allen finally snapped._

_“I can't stand you, Hawks! You demand more power on the project than us, then you nearly kill Claire and sell off the technology to government moles!”_

_“Big words for someone so self-righteous. You’re just upset that this technology won't work so you can go back and ruin my life."_

_“It would only be fair, you rat!”_

_“Both of you, be quiet!” Luke stepped between them, “Fighting won't solve anything!”_

_“You're right, Triton. Maybe I could get somewhere if I wasn't here.”_

_“Don't you DARE walk out that door!” Allen reached for him._

_**“Don't touch me.”** Hawks yanked his arm away, knocking over a stool covered in research papers. They scattered all over the ground._

_Luke stared at the floor. He couldn't change anything. This had already happened. It was pointless._

_He was useless._

_Hawks slammed the door on his way out. Claire let her hair fall over one eye. Allen gave a long sigh, toustling his long grey hair._

_“Luke, I'm confused.” Allen studied his blueprints, though not with much vigor, “Why are you so certain that we will find the answer? How do you know?”_

_Luke and Claire shared a knowing look. Luke drew his strength, trying to remember when the Professor was with him, alive and well._

_“Because...” Luke blinked as tears blurred his vision, “I've been to the future. I went on an adventure with my future self a few years ago, and it was a machine that worked perfectly. We have to finish this machine. The Professor will be saved. I know it, because I've seen it.”_

_Luke reached into his bag for the photograph he'd saved for this exact moment._

_“Here.” Luke handed the photo to him._

_Allen's eyes widened staring at it. In the photo was Young Luke, his future self, the Professor, Brenda, and Clark. Claire was the one who had held the camera._

_“You look...” Allen gave it back, “...so happy.”_

_“Yes, but I hope you know what this means.” Luke stashed the photo, “I know we will succeed. We just have to keep trying.”_

_Claire smiled, “I'll go back to the code. Maybe there's something simple we've overlooked.”_

_“Not yet, Claire. You deserve a break.” Luke opened up his notebook to jot something down, “I have homework to finish. We'll pick this up again in a few hours.”_

***


	5. Chapter 5

“So you knew what would have convinced Allen as well?”

Older Luke gave a nod to his younger self, “This time was much simpler. I already knew how to convince you to follow me, but I don't know Allen nearly as well as I know myself, so the only way I figured it out was through myself!”

“I'm like your messenger to the past!” Young Luke had finished his tea and was simply listening to the story now, “But wait, what photo did you show him?”

“The one I'm about to take right now!” Older Luke quickly disappeared and returned with a camera, “Ready?”

He gave the camera to Claire as all five others gathered on the couch for the photo. At the last second, Older Luke stole Young Luke's cap and put it on his own head.

“Hey!”

_Click!_ “That's so cute!” Claire took the photo from the front of the camera.

Young Luke stole his cap back, “Not fair!”

“Ha! You just got pranked by yourself!” Older Luke took the photo from Claire, “Now, Luke, this is very very important.”

Young Luke accepted the photo, expecting to hate how it turned out, but he ended up smiling instead. It was almost how he'd imagined an older brother might be like.

Older Luke placed his hand under the photo, “Don't lose this photo. You'll need it to prove to Dimitri that time travel really is possible. You got that?”

Young Luke got a serious expression on his face, “I will keep this until the day I die.”

Older Luke straightened his tie, “Trust me. I believe you.”

Young Luke slid the photo into a special pocket in his bag, “Do you still have your version of the photo?”

“Yes, and as I once said, I will keep it until the day I die.” Older Luke retrieved the photo from in his bag, “See?”

It was the exact same photo, except it showed a few signs of wear. It was clear the photo was handled often.

“It's served its purpose by now, but I wouldn't dream of throwing it out.”

Layton had smiled for the photo, but otherwise he kept his guise of careful calculation.

“I still have questions, Luke.”

Both Lukes were startled out of their musings. Young Luke quickly realized which Luke the Professor was talking about, so he stepped aside to let Older Luke face Layton.

“I figured you would.” he gingerly touched a spot on his shoulder that didn't escape Layton's notice, “But before you do, let me finish the story.”

Older Luke was tired of standing, so he moved to the armchair in the corner of the room. He fell into it, his posture showing off just how tired he was.

“After Hawks left, he started a big operation that had to do with the failure of our exotic matter. He decided to take a completely different time travel route, and his machine was actually finished before ours was. I don't understand it completely, but it has to do with the Hindenburg Uncertainty Principle, which is the name we gave for the fact that we can’t directly observe elementary particles. He decided that if he really wanted to keep his wormhole open, he had to use cosmic string, but I don't know if that’s what he actually did or if that was just to throw me off course.”

Layton didn't doubt that he really didn't know. Young Luke looked like he was just barely following.

“So with this technology, the monster who killed the Professor had the means to go back in time before I had the means to follow him. I blamed myself for Dimitri and Bill severing ties. That was that event that led to the Professor's murder in the first place.” Older Luke let his head rest on the armrest of the chair, _“And so I blamed myself for the Professor's death, even though it wasn't my fault.”_

Young Luke sat beside Layton to give him a hug. Older Luke remembered when he did this himself. He couldn't even fathom Layton dying at the time, especially by someone else's hand.

“And so finally, _finally...”_ Older Luke grasped at the air, “Dimitri and Claire finished their time machine. I was the first human test subject. They managed to send me several hours into the future with no noticeable side effects. I was sent back in it, too. I'm very accustomed to it by now. Much more testing had to be done before it was deemed safe, so during that time, I set up the puzzle you solved in Big Ben.”

Layton had one comforting hand on Young Luke's shoulder, “And then you kidnapped yourself.”

“Uh, kidnap is a strong word, Professor.” Older Luke crossed his ankles, “In reality, I simply approached him as I needed his help. I know I can rely on myself, after all. His absence would draw the real Professor Layton to me, and I made my letter just mysterious enough that it would pique your curiosity, but it looks perfectly innocent to ordinary people.”

Everyone looked at each other.

“I need to find him.” Older Luke sat up to look his mentor in the eye, “Professor. I need you to help me save you. Will you do this for me?”

Layton certainly didn't like the idea of dying, but the idea of tampering with time was even less appealing. Still, Luke clearly knew what he was doing. Five years was a long time to prepare for something like this, and if Layton declined now...who knows what would happen?

Besides, Layton loved Luke almost as if he was his own son. He didn't think he had the heart to decline even if he wanted to.

Layton sat up a little straighter, “You already know what I'm going to say, Luke.”

Older Luke smiled, “Yes, I do, but I need to hear it from you. Aloud.”

Layton saw the happiness that Luke carried, like a war veteran who had just made it home. He couldn't even fathom what he had been through to get him here. He just seemed so...broken.

Layton gave a single nod, “Of course I'll help you. I certainly don't like the idea of being murdered.”

“Thank you.” Older Luke sighed heavily, “I know all of this is a lot of information to take in at once, so I'm going to stop for now. We can talk more in the morning.”

He poked his head into the front room, “Claire, set up the security system and go to bed. I'm going to call Dimitri and let him know it worked.” he let the door close, “I've set up an entire room of beds. We can rest there.”

***

The beds in this particular room were arranged as if they were in a set of barracks. There were just enough for everyone in the group, and Young Luke sat on his own bed as he tried his best to memorize everything about the situation, writing down in his notebook like his life depended on it. He wanted to remember, so he could recreate everything perfectly. The Professor would need him to remember. He had to remember.

Young Luke watched as his older self opened the window. Everyone had settled down for the night (or early evening really), and Older Luke had yet to call Dimitri. Young Luke had assumed that the older Triton would simply use a phone, but instead, he leaned out the window, cupping his hands around his mouth in a precise way and blowing through them like a whistle. It sounded exactly like a bird's call.

“Oh, of course!” Young Luke ran to the window, “You can talk to animals!”

“I wouldn't trade this gift for the world.” Older Luke held his hand out for a red song bird, “But of course, you already knew that.”

Young Luke ran two fingers down the bird's back, “Hello, little one! What's your name?”

_“Chirp!”_

“Flower Bud? That's a wonderful name!”

“Yes. Flower Bud has been a great help in my mission.” Older Luke straightened the collar of his shirt, “Flower Bud, I need you to get to Dimitri and tell him my plan was a success. The next step can commence. Don't worry, he'll understand.”

_“Chirp? Chirp chirp!”_

“Thank you. Make sure he's okay, will you?” Older Luke threw the bird into the air, and he flew away.

Young Luke let his older self close the window, “Um, where's Raindrop in the future?”

Older Luke slouched as he stepped away from the window, “Oh, well...I'm afraid Raindrop died of old age last month. I gave her a proper burial, and I visit whenever I can.”

Young Luke hung his head, “I'm not surprised. Raindrop is already fairly old. I can't wait to meet Flower Bud in my own time, though.”

“Yes. He's a great comfort in times like this. I've known him since he was a hatchling.” Older Luke headed to the bed closest to the door, “Now get some rest. You'll need it.”

Young Luke returned to his bed, glancing at the Professor. He had pushed his own bed so it was right beside the one Claire had settled into. He had removed his brown jacket, but he still refused to remove his hat, even though it made him too tall for the bedframe. This was when Young Luke decided to lay down, hugging his blue cap to his chest.

Layton watched as Claire's careful expression was breaking, “Claire, don't...”

Claire huddled against his chest, her arms around his back, _“I don't want to lose you.”_

Layton held her close, “You won't. You went ahead with your time travel plans to save me. It will be alright.”

Claire relaxed into the pillows, “I know, but I...”

She didn't finish. Her tears hadn't spilled, but her eyes did glisten with them.

Layton ran his thumb down the rough skin of her forehead scar, “I won't let myself be taken from you so easily. I will put up a fight if I can.”

“I know.” Claire took her glasses off to hang them on the bed frame, “I love you, Hershel.”

“And I love you, Claire.”

***


	6. Chapter 6

Clark and Brenda were the first out of bed that morning. Older Luke wanted to be the first to awaken, but he really was exhausted from the previous day, and all the stress from his mission had given him chronic insomnia. This was the first full-night's sleep he had gotten at least since Hawks left the project, and it really showed.

He sat up to stretch, reaching for his vest and tie on the floor. His dress shirt was wrinkled from all the nights it had been slept in, but he made some attempt to smooth it out before slipping on the vest. His fingers fumbled on the tie. He yawned once he'd gotten it on.

“Luke.”

Luke cringed. His father was standing near the doorway, his foot tapping on the floor.

He stared at the ground, “Dad, I...”

He really didn't know what to say. He hadn't meant to alienate his parents so much, but at this point, trying to find them and reason with them and...apologize...just felt like too much of a stretch.

Clark sat on the bed across from his son's future self, “I want an explanation.”

Luke opened his mouth. His younger self was still asleep, so he didn't know how this situation would unfold. He liked the certainty of having been through a situation before, but waking Young Luke just to observe the situation was too close to unnecessarily tampering with the flow of time. He had already messed with it too much just by bringing them here. Besides, he knew simply by the memory's absence that it wasn't the right choice, as he'd predicted.

So instead, he dropped his gaze to his shoes. It was too painful to maintain eye contact.

“I'm sorry.” he twiddled his thumbs, “I'm so sorry. I could never apologize enough for what I did. I can never make it up to you. I'm sorry.”

“So it's true, then?” Clark rose one eyebrow, “A time machine could never be built by one person. You needed help. You needed funding. Did you get that funding from...”

He trailed off when a single tear fell of Luke's face to land in his lap.

“I spent the entire family fortune on this project.” Older Luke’s fists shook with stifled rage, “I sucked you dry of every penny you had. You still made more of course, your job pays well, but I made such a huge dent in our family savings that you grew angry with me.” Older Luke wished he had his cap back just so he could hide behind it, “I can't tell the others this just yet, as it might mess with the flow of time, but you were the one who cut ties with me, not the other way around, and I accepted that.”

Clark was at a loss for words. He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“As long as you're safe, I don't care how you feel about me.” Luke wiped his tears away, “I feel terrible about it, though. I wish I could somehow take it back. I wish I could apologize.”

“But Luke, I'm here, right now, in the future. Don't I remember and understand why you did it?”

“Well...yes and no.” Luke was happy to be back on a less serious topic, “Your future self had no memory of this project or why I did it, and when I told you what happened, you didn't believe me. It all has to do with the flow of time. Time alone is linear, but space-time is far more complicated. I ensured I could keep my own memories using a quantum distangler, and this works seamlessly most of the time, but it isn't fail-proof. Time travel is complicated, and moving through time will almost always inevitably fix things into their proper times.”

Luke lowered his voice when his younger self stirred.

“I really _really_ can't afford to mess with the flow of time more than I have to. I can't fix things with you and Mum. I don't like it, of course, but that's how it must be. Just help me until I can send you back with my younger self, and everything will be fine.”

Clark jumped when Brenda sat beside him. She reached out her hand to tightly grasp Luke's, “Let us give you something. Please. Prove to our future selves after this is over that we really did travel through time.”

Luke’s thoughts drifted to the photo, still in his bag. Would that work?

He retrieved the photo, moving slowly as his thumb gently traced the white border. He showed it to his parents from the past like some kind of failed art project.

“Would this be enough?”

Brenda beamed, “I think it would. Clark?”

Clark nodded approvingly, “Yes, I believe so. Please, Luke. We love you, and it breaks my heart that this happened.”

Young Luke was already sitting up and rubbing his eyes, so Older Luke slid his forefinger and thumb across his lips like zipping up his mouth and throwing the key away. His parents nodded, though they still didn't like it.

“Oh!” Young Luke put his hat on, “I thought it was a dream...”

“No dream, little me.” Older Luke stashed the photo, “Trust me, I wish it could be that way.”

Luke had always known that he had one major weakness; His memory was terrible. Even with the quantum distangler that allowed him to escape the “knots” of time travel, it didn't help his own ordinary limitations. Because of this flaw, he had to write down everything that he wanted to remember or he might end up forgetting, but the problem was when his notebook was full and he had to get a new one. He couldn't write down everything or his notes would get too long and confusing, but he wasn't sure which notes he would need to keep, and which to leave out.

Something was about to happen, Older Luke was sure of that, but what was it?

“Luke!” Older Claire burst in from the other room, “Get everyone out of here! We're under attack!”

The five-year-old memory came flooding back. _Oh._

“Let's go!” Older Luke grabbed everything he would need, “There's an escape route in the basement!” he shook Layton awake, “Professor! Wake up!”

“Huh? What?” Layton turned to his Claire, also waking up, “Luke?”

“Get up! We're under attack!” Older Luke slid the rug near the back of the room away to reveal a trap door, “We’re leaving right now!”

The group of six gathered together, descending the staircase one by one. Older Luke stayed at the top, watching the door to the other room for any signs of distress. Layton left last of the remaining five.

He seemed conflicted as he paused on the second step, “What about-?”

“Claire will be fine. I've made sure of that.” Luke assured him, “Trust me. I'll come back for her later.”

Layton didn't like it, but he headed down the staircase anyway, if only because of his trust in the teenager.

Luke glared at the door before following suit, closing the hatch above them and locking it above his head. He used an ordinary combination lock, not a puzzle lock. He was smarter than that.

Taking the lead, he headed quickly forward through the concrete room, “This way.”

Young Luke was shaking violently, “Who's attacking us!?”

Older Luke took them to another descending staircase, a shorter one this time, which took them into a narrow hallway, “One of my obstacles. They’re the reason we need to be so secretive, and they are likely responsible for the Professor's murder.” he frowned when the lightswitch didn't work, “Come on, Dimitri. Don't fail me now.”

Young Luke huddled close to his mom, “So, you're still afraid of the dark?”

Older Luke dug around in his bag for a flashlight, “I try not to be, but it's hard to know what might be lurking in the shadows, especially when you have a reason to be paranoid.” he clicked on the light to guide them forward, “Alright. This way.”

The concrete eventually gave way to a dirt tunnel, meaning it felt even darker than before. Young Luke stayed close to the adults, but Older Luke was visibly shaking from his fear as he led them by himself. He didn't like this tunnel. It was cold and damp and dark. Every sound echoed back at him, especially his own breathing. Eventually, the hand that held the flashlight began to shake.

He stopped walking, biting down on his knuckle to stifle a whimper. He closed his eyes, willing the sight of the murdered Professor out of his head. His heart felt as if it had been stabbed. He shivered in the cold.

“Luke?” Older Luke was brought back to the present when Layton gripped his shoulders, “Are you alright?”

Luke inhaled, “Yes, sorry. I must have spaced out.” he had really bad memories attached to this tunnel, but it was no excuse to act out, “We'll be there soon. Let's just get out of here.”

Layton let him walk for a moment. The reaction didn't sit right with him, “Luke, wait.”

Older Luke halted, “Yes, Professor?”

Layton stood in front of him, holding the brim of his hat as he often did. Luke gripped the knot in his tie, tugging at it nervously.

“I know you've been through a lot.” Layton gave a patient smile, “But you can do this. Everything will be alright. I'll make sure of it.”

Luke covered his face when his tears spilled over, _“Professor...”_

Layton lifted his arms, and Luke gladly accepted the hug. He buried his face in Layton's shoulder as he cried.

_“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that...”_

Layton held him tighter, “Luke, I know you have an important mission, and the way you've followed through with it is astounding, but you must remember that, at the end of the day, you are just a child. This kind of stress isn't good for you.” Layton's eyes drifted to a root in the dirt wall, “I would know.”

Luke forced himself to take steady breaths, slowly stepping back and wiping his eyes, “Thank you. I know.”

Young Luke caught his eye, and it made him sink even more.

“Anyway, we're almost there.” Older Luke started back down the tunnel, newly rejuvenated, “It's just one last turn...yes, right here.”

He walked up to a ladder beneath a trap door, in an area where the ceiling was low. He undid the latch on the door and pushed it up.

“Wait here.” Older Luke propped the door up on the wall above the opening, “I'll make sure the coast is clear.”

Layton looked behind them as Luke ascended.

Older Luke ran his fingers through his hair to brush the dirt out of it. This room was one he frequented since coming into contact with the enemy. His hand scratched at his shoulder again. He hated this base so much. He would have to ask Dimitri if they could move out.

His ears strained in the dark room, “Dimitri?” he kept his voice down, just to be safe, “Dimitri, are you here?”

The lights suddenly flicked on, “Cor blimey, Luke. I thought you were someone else.”

Luke smiled at the man, “Dimitri. Did you get my message?”

“Yes.” Dimitri threw his hair back, which had been grey his whole life, “Did you truly do it?”

Luke nodded, “You all can come up. The coast is clear.”

Young Luke scrambled up first, “Hiya, Dimitri!”

“Little Luke! It's good to see you again!” Dimitri shook his hand once he was up, “And-!?”

“Mum and Dad,” Older Luke helped them up, “Claire from the past, and...”

Layton climbed up cautiously, “Hello, Dimitri.”

“Hershel.” Dimitri slapped his back, “It's good to see you again, old chap! It's been so long!”

Layton let his gaze drift around the room, “Ah, yes...so I've heard...”

The room was full of papers and documents in folders and filing cabinets. It also contained rows of sinks and shelves of clean scientific equipment like test tubes and beakers.

“Is this the place you researched your time machine?”

“It is.” Dimitri turned to Older Luke, “Luke, how much have you actually told them?”

“Just the basics.” Luke locked up the trap door behind them, wiping the sweat from his forehead, “He's in the future, Bill left the project to form his own, which led to his, uh...murder...”

“Did you tell him about...?”

“No, not quite.” Luke straightened the collar of his shirt, giving a heavy sigh.

Layton leaned against one of the shelves, “About what?”

Luke glanced at the trap door again, then at the door that led to the rest of the building. He tapped his foot, trying to steady his pounding heart.

“Targent.” he brought a hand to his mouth, “After Bill left, that gang got his technology and killed the Professor. We have our own resistance movement known as The Family, and the both of us butt heads rather frequently.”

“A gang?” Layton’s brow furrowed, “Don't the police do anything about it?”

“Oh trust me, they try.” Dimitri stepped in, “But most of the time, they hardly even know what's happening. Targent is too secretive to easily track, meaning it's nearly impossible to avoid them as well.”

Luke pushed his bangs off his forehead, “You can explain the rest of the situation, Dimitri. I'm going back for Claire.”

“Luke, stop.” Dimitri grabbed his arm, “What if they're coming back through the tunnels? I can't let you get hurt now!”

Luke pulled away, annoyed, “Then I'll walk back outside. More witnesses, and it’s faster anyway.”

Dimitri was caught between words, mindlessly sputtering until Luke was at the metal basement door, “Please be careful.”

Luke opened the door, “You know I always am.”

And then he was gone.

***


	7. Chapter 7

“So. Dimitri.” Layton glanced at Luke's parents and then the younger Claire, “How much can you tell me about Targent?”

Dimitri combed through his long, messy bangs, “Unfortunately, not a lot. You know about as much as we do at the moment. They don't even have a uniform like The Family does, so any ordinary-looking people could be a part of them.”

Layton looked at the ground as he thought, “So that's why Luke needed to make sure it was definitely me stepping through his time portal.”

“Indeed.” Dimitri rifled through some of the papers in the room, “These past few days with them have been a nightmare, but I must say, I underestimated how helpful having two Lukes around would be.”

Layton felt himself double-take, “Two?”

Young Luke sat on the floor, his hands in his lap.

“Luke?” Layton knelt down to look him in the eye, “How long exactly have you been in the future?”

Luke fiddled with a thread on his sleeve, “It's been almost a week. I know for you it's been less than a day, but older me said we needed to prepare for your arrival, so he set the time machine for slightly longer than five years.”

Layton leaned slightly back on his heels, “What have you been doing this whole time?”

Luke shrugged, “Mostly helping older me with setting up the time machine for you. There were a lot of technicalities, but he had clear instructions.”

“Yes, Little Luke has been a big help to us.” Dimitri gathered up the papers into his arm, “But of course, I shouldn't be surprised. He is Luke, after all.”

Layton stood up, “Dimitri, can you show me where you built your first machine?”

Dimitri’s eyes glazed over, “Yes. Follow me.”

He led them down the hall to a staircase at the other end. A short climb later, and he entered a new room. It was the one Older Luke had described in his story.

“This is where the first experiment took place.” Dimitri explained, “Our first experiment, anyway. We needed a bigger room to test the final machine.”

Layton headed towards the computer, moving the mouse so it came out of sleep mode. It was left on a detailed programming screen, and a set of instructions for setting up the puzzle in Big Ben, as well as the machine. Layton was impressed that the machine covered the whole room at the top of the clock tower.

“It's my computer...” Claire sat at the desk chair in front of the keyboard, “Did I write all of this code?”

“And you wrote all the maths involved in our queries.” Dimitri rested his elbows on the table, “This time machine would not have been possible without you. I may be better at building things, but your skill with software is unmatched.”

Claire adjusted her glasses staring at the screen, “Wow.”

“How...?” Layton shook his head, “I've been holding this question for now, but how is this even possible?”

Dimitri laughed, setting his stack of papers down, “I'm afraid I may be the wrong person to ask. Luke is much better at explaining this in layman's terms.”

“Try to anyway.” Layton wasn't frustrated so much as he was sad, “Hasn't Luke done enough explaining?”

Dimitri nodded, his sullen eyes reflecting pain.

“Yes, I suppose he has. Basically...” he paused to gather his thoughts, “It has to do with the nature of our universe. Thanks to Einstein's theory of relativity, we know that space and time is not as uniform as we thought. For example, time warps around black holes, because they are so dense and so heavy that nothing can escape, not even light.”

Everybody seemed to be following so far, so he continued.

“Gravity is the most complex of all forces in the universe. It's not a force the same way that other forces are, in fact, it's not really a force at all. It's simply a property of things that have mass. If an object has mass, it bends space-time around it, forcing nearby objects towards each other. Gravity is space-time curvature, and that's why it's so strange. If gravity can change the flow of time, then what of black holes? Can they accelerate time? Slow it down? Stop it? Maybe they can even go backwards! We had no idea until a few months ago, after Luke told us that time travel was indeed possible.”

“No way!” Luke still seemed confused, but he had a figurative light bulb above his head, “Did we go through a black hole?”

“Close, but not quite.” Dimitri smiled humorously, “If you went through a black hole, you would be dead. However, black holes have a very important quality; They are so heavy that their mass literally punches holes into the universe. If only there was a way to hold those holes open so you could travel through them...”

Layton didn't know much about quantum physics, but he did know what this was.

“Wormholes.”

“Precisely! Wormholes are tunnels through the universe that connect very distant places and allow for instantaneous travel.”

“Wait, I'm lost.” Luke fell into a metal folding chair, “How does that work?"

Layton supposed this was how Dimitri was bad at explaining things, “Think about it this way, Luke. Say you have a flat sheet of paper, and say you are the size of a beetle. If you wanted to travel across the entire paper, it would take a long time, but if you wanted to get there faster by, say, bending the paper so the opposite edges touched, you could get to the other side in less than a second.”

“Oh.” Luke rested his chin in his hands, “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Yes. Thank you, Hershel.” Dimitri brushed down his lab coat, “But the problem is that so much gravity is required to create these holes that instead of creating a clear tunnel, the middle of the tunnel closes up, leading to a black hole on both sides, which is not helpful for instantaneous travel. Therefore, we need something that can hold the wormhole open. Something with negative mass, unlike anything we have here on Earth. Something that works against gravity, pushing things away from it instead of pulling things towards it. Not matter, not antimatter, something like...”

Luke jumped up, “Exotic matter! Like older me said!”

“Yes! You've got it!” Dimitri seemed proud the boy had gotten it, but Layton suspected he was just relieved he could get through the explanation, “But...this is where we tripped up. I'm ashamed at how I acted the day Bill left, but I was so tired of these constant experiments in exotic matter, and Bill was acting just so...”

Claire gently touched his arm, and he let out a breath of air.

Layton looked from Young Luke to Dimitri, “How did you actually plan on saving me? And how can we stop Targent?”

Dimitri sat at his own chair, slouching over in his seat, “I honestly don't really know. Luke said he had a plan, but he wanted all of us to be together before he told us what it is.”

Layton turned to the only window in the room, “So we wait for him to get back with Future Claire?”

“Yes.” Dimitri looked up, “Little Luke, can you get Sunflower Seed at the window? Tell her to look out for Big Luke?”

“Yeah.” Luke opened the window, leaving his bag on the metal chair, _“Chirp! Chirp!”_ a black bird with white markings flew into Luke's hand, “Hey. Go find future me and make sure he's okay?”

_“Chirp?”_

“Yes, I'll have a treat for you when you get back.”

_“Chirp chirp!”_

“Thank you! I'll see you then.”

The bird left, and Luke shut the window. He huffed anxiously.

“Now we wait.”

***


	8. Chapter 8

Older Luke pushed through crowds of people before they levelled out on the street he wanted to get to. He already had a painful knot in his stomach, but he prayed that Targent had left Claire alone. She was not very public on their team, after all. Targent shouldn't even recognize her.

He took the front door of the clock shop, “Claire?”

Someone punched the side of his head, shoving the door closed, and he quickly retaliated, throwing his fist and then his foot at the attacker. The man recoiled, allowing Luke to look around quickly to assess the situation. Claire wasn't here, but more thugs were rushing forward to get him. He reacted by spinning in place to kick one and then he caught the arm of the other to twist him into the ground. He rushed into the fourth with a strong uppercut into the gut.

All four men lay on the ground as Luke lifted the collar of the first attacker, “Who sent you?”

He sputtered, “I ain't telling you, Triton!”

Luke narrowed his eyes, “Unless you want to lose all your teeth, I suggest you cough it up.”

“You can't threaten me! They have my family!”

Luke threw the man onto the ground, wrapping his hands around his throat, “Tell me who sent you, buster. Was it Swift?”

The man choked, _“I said I ain't telling! Go ahead and kill me for all I care!”_

Luke jumped back, crying out in anger, “Fine! Don't tell me! Just tell me what you did with Claire!”

“I don't know what you're on about! The place was empty when we got here!”

Another of the thugs pushed himself up off his stomach, “Don't listen to Triton! He's a liar!”

Luke dug his heel into the man's back, “You'd better shut up! If you hurt one hair on her head, I'll-!”

Luke’s mouth snapped shut. What was he doing? Threatening people with violence? No gentleman would do that. He kept his gaze on the other men. They were down. They were no longer a threat to him. There was no need for violence.

He sighed. What would the Professor say?

“Just tell me where the girl is. Please.”

“We already told you, Triton.” the third attacker, “This place was empty when we got here.”

Luke massaged his forehead, “Are you sure?”

“Yes. We've been here for hours, but there was no sign of a girl.”

Luke moved to the back room, “I see. She must have escaped, then. Get out of here before I kill you.”

The four injured men hobbled onto their feet. One of them tried to attack him again, but before he had a chance to throw his punch, Luke caught his fist in midair.

“Are you deaf!? I said get out before I break your bloody kneecaps!”

Luke pushed him so he stumbled and fell. He didn't relax until all four men were out of sight, the door closing behind them. Luke felt the heat in his face. He was shaking with uncontrolled rage. He forced himself to calm down, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. No gentleman would hold onto anger, even if that anger was justified. It wouldn't do to let himself fall prey to his emotions.

Once he was sure he was alone, he headed into the back room, which broke off into the kitchen, “You can come out now, Claire. I took care of them.”

The silence unnerved him. Was Claire not here after all? Did she really run away? Finally, the pantry lock clicked, and Future Claire emerged from between the shelves.

“Hi, Luke.”

“Ugh, don't scare me like that.” Luke took her hands, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I'm fine, but Luke we need to get back to everyone else.”

“I know. We're going back right now.” Luke headed for the door, “Dimitri should be filling them in.”

“Luke.”

“Huh?” Luke turned to her simply do to how seriously she spoke his name, “What's wrong?”

Claire’s expression was unreadable. It was incredible how well she could mask her emotions, almost just as well as Layton could, which always made reading her rather frustrating.

“They have a prisoner.”

Luke's eyes widened, “A prisoner? Who?”

“I don't know, but they kept mentioning a woman who was trapped in their hideout. They wanted to make you a prisoner too, which is why they were talking about it.”

“Me?” Luke shook his head, “No no, Claire, let's go. We can talk about this later.”

“But it's important now.” Claire took his wrist before he could walk away, “They're going after you, Luke. You're a target.”

“And what do you want me to do about it!?” Luke bit his lip. _Don't yell at a lady. You're better than that._

Claire put a hand on his cheek, “I want you to stop being a guinea pig in your own experiments. If you keep pushing your luck on these missions, you're going to run out.”

Luke mussed up his hair, “Claire, stop. That's enough.”

“No, Luke.” she frowned in distress, “It's too much. You're going to break one of these days.”

Luke let both hands rest on his face, his hair falling in front of his eyes. His gaze fixed on the floor, looking through his thick bangs like a curtain.

His voice was soft. It cracked.

_“I would deserve it.”_

“What?” Claire firmly took his shoulders, “Luke, you don't really believe that!”

Luke cursed himself for shedding more tears, “I do believe that. I'm not a good person, Claire.”

Claire hugged him close to herself, just letting him cry.

Claire tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear, “Do you see what I mean? You're tearing yourself apart.”

Luke had to concede with her point. If he tore himself down like this, it would only distract him with unnecessary pain. Even if it was true that he was a bad person, it wasn't very helpful to keep reminding himself of it.

Still. It felt nice just to finally say it aloud.

“You've been working so hard.” Claire brought him towards the door as she broke the hug, “Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing great.”

Luke laughed, “You sound like my mum.”

“Maybe I get it from her.”

Luke’s guise of business was back as they exited the building, and he started down the street with Claire clearly in his vision.

“Huh?” Luke lifted his finger as a familiar bird flew around his head, “Sunflower Seed? What are you doing here?”

The black-and-white bird landed in his finger, “Chirp!”

“You were looking for me?” Luke glanced at Claire, “Are the others concerned? Don't worry, we're going back right now.” he made it to the door of the lab, “Go back to the window.”

Claire looked behind them, a sudden spike of paranoia shaking her frame before they safely made it into the building. She only hoped they weren't being watched.

***


	9. Chapter 9

Layton’s smile was relieved, “Luke.”

“Professor.” Older Luke closed the door, “I’m glad we're back together.”

Young Luke had a small pile of seeds in his hand which Sunflower Seed was pecking at excitedly. He giggled as her beak tickled his hand.

“Don't eat all of them. You want to share, don't you?”

_“Chiiirp!”_

“Alright, I get it.”

Older Luke placed both hands on the back of his neck, “Professor, I'm afraid we must get to Targent’s headquarters faster than we initially planned; They have a prisoner.”

Layton looked at him, his mask unbroken, “A prisoner?”

Older Luke of course knew who the prisoner was (now that he was remembering), as he didn't hide things from his past self, but now was too early to share it, “Yes. There were thugs in the building looking for me, and Claire has informed me that they were talking about a prisoner. We need to rescue her before we can talk about saving you.”

Layton sighed, “Luke, why can't you just go back in time to before I was murdered? Can't you stop it before it happens?”

Older Luke laughed, though he didn't think the situation was funny, “I wish I could, but I'm afraid if I prevented you from getting murdered altogether, I wouldn't know that you were ever in danger, so I wouldn't know to go back in time and stop it, which would lead to you getting murdered again. It's a paradox, and if even one paradox occurs, it could trigger a quantum catastrophe which will destroy the time stream.”

Young Luke's eyes became spirals, _“Huh?”_

“In order to save you and make it stick,” Older Luke ignored his younger self's spinning head, “I have to trick past-me into believing you were dead, or create a glitch where you are both dead and not dead until we can force you into a living state, or push two timelines into each other, creating a partial paradox which will force-!”

_“Please_ stop!” Young Luke held his head, receiving an annoyed chirp from Sunflower Seed as all the seeds fell to the ground.

Older Luke’s hands returned to his pockets, choosing to spare himself the full explanation, “Anyway, I wish it were that simple, but Dimitri and Claire made it clear to me that time travel is no joke. It's unlike anything else attempted by humans by an immense margin, so it must be handled with utmost care.”

Younger Claire was staring at her computer screen, her older self looking over her shoulder, “Is that why you took a new photo to give to your younger self? Instead of just giving him the photo you already had?”

“Exactly.” Older Luke’s gaze drifted to the blueprints, which even now he still only partially understood, “That photo must have a definite beginning so that it can have its own linear path through time. Otherwise, it would be trapped in a loop for the rest of its personal history until it crumbled over thousands of years and created a paradox. Even tiny things like a misplaced photo can destroy the flow of time.”

Layton was at a loss trying to fully understand it, “Fascinating.”

“So you can't tell me who the prisoner is...” Young Luke collected the seeds he'd dropped, “Because if you tell me who it is, then how did I originally learn it?”

“That's exactly right, younger me. You must learn it when I did; During this mission to save the prisoner. The rest will come later, I promise.”

Young Luke was starting to get used to it, but it was still a tad confusing.

Layton crossed his arms. Young Luke might call it his “famous intuition”, but Older Luke seemed to be acting...odd, for lack of a better word. He was certain at least that he was truly Luke from the future, as he had said, but something about his posture, his expressions, the way he kept averting his gaze and tugging at his tie, almost as if he was feeling guilty about something...it made the esteemed Professor, if not suspicious, then at least concerned.

“So, Luke.” Layton said, “The older one. Did you have a plan on how to rescue this prisoner?”

“I do, if only because I still have my notes from the plan to rescue you.” Older Luke was glad to have his notebook pages to fiddle with in his anxiety, “We're just going to have to take a quick detour. If we're lucky, she will prove helpful in rescuing you as well, so it won't be lost time. If only I could keep my notes properly organized...”

Young Luke opened the window to let Sunflower Seed leave, “I'm glad _some_ things never change.”

“Heh. Likewise, little me.” Older Luke scratched something out with his pencil, _“No, not like that_...okay, Claire, er, Future Claire, come with me and Dimitri. We're going to break into Targent headquarters. Professor, Past Claire, and little me will sneak through the back with Mum and Dad. Don't worry about all the particulars, we can handle it, but just in case you're caught, we have devices you can use to defend yourselves.”

He continued to explain his plan, all while Layton continued to wonder what kind of bizarre force was taking over his apprentice.

***

_Young Luke observed as each second ticked by on his older self's watch. He seemed to be waiting for something, but Young Luke wasn't sure what it was._

_Older Luke winced, his hand going up to a place on his shoulder. Three more ticks. His expression didn't change._

_Young Luke looked around the street they were on, quietly asking, “How much longer?”_

_Older Luke blinked, “Three...two...one.” his hands went into his pockets, “Right now. We must be precise.”_

_Young Luke followed quickly, easily grasping the severity of the situation._

_“There.” Older luke took off down the street, “HEY!”_

_A man carrying a sack over his shoulder instinctively turned. Older Luke slid a long, mechanical weapon from underneath his sleeve, curved at the end to form a sturdy plastic blade. With stunning accuracy, he sliced through the bag, forcing the contents out onto the street._

_Older Luke blocked the thug from getting back to his kidnapped victim, “Now.”_

_“Mum!” Luke dropped to her side, “Are you okay?”_

_Brenda blinked, “Luke? Where am I?”_

_The thug decided it wasn't worth it. He ran away, disappearing further down the street._

_“Get her a ticket back home.” Older Luke sheathed the high-tech sword, “We'll be heading off soon.”_

_Young Luke let his mother lean on his shoulder as she stood up, “Mum, don't tell anyone what happened here, alright?”_

_“Why? Is something wrong?”_

_Her gaze locked with Older Luke's. He took a sharp breath of air. He underestimated how much he missed his mother._

_“Oh my god...” Older Luke stumbled back, his chest giving a painful throb._

_Brenda recognized him immediately, “Luke...? But, you're...”_

_Young Luke shook his head, “Now isn't the right time. I don't really understand it, but older me says that this is necessary. I can help you onto the train, but then I need to go with him. Me. Whatever.”_

_Brenda’s thin brow creased, “Okay. I won't say a word.”_

_“Thank you.” Older Luke took her hand to lead her to the station, “Don't even tell younger me. He’s further in the past, so he hasn't been through this yet.”_

_Brenda’s free hand fiddled with her collar, “I understand. I only hope you'll explain this to me later.”_

_For Young Luke, watching his mom disappear into the train was a very visceral experience. He was sad to see her go of course, but Older Luke looked to be on the verge of tears. What must have happened between them?_

_Young Luke took his older self's sleeve, “What's wrong?”_

_His words only made Older Luke rub his eyes, “N-nothing.”_

_Young Luke felt a cold shock, “Mom doesn't die too...?”_

_“No, no...” Older Luke let his hands drag down his face, “Nevermind. It's nothing. We have other errands to take care of.”_

_Young Luke took one last look at the train before he left, knowing that when she saw him again in a few days, it will have been several months for her._

_Yikes. He'd better not think about it too hard._

***


	10. Chapter 10

Brenda stared at the ground as Young Luke recounted the story. It was almost time for the other group to create the diversion, so he figured it was a good time to clear this up.

Layton’s eyes didn't leave the base, which was a military-grade fortress surrounding an incredibly tall tower, “So the other Luke took you on several errands before our arrival?”

“Yeah. He was preventing other members of Targent from meddling with the past.” Young Luke squeezed Brenda's hand, “I hope you understand now why I couldn't explain it back then.”

“So that's why he cried?” Brenda sighed, “Oh dear...”

“I knew it.” Clark shot an icy glare at his feet, “I knew this was no ordinary trip. Sweetheart, why would you leave just to be stuffed in a sack?”

“Because!” she tugged at her hair, “Because...he threatened to hurt Luke...”

Young Luke swallowed, “He was going to use you as bait. Targent knew how much I love you, so they knew I would cave to any of their demands if they kidnapped you.”

Brenda and Clark became white as a sheet of paper.

Layton put a hand on Luke's shoulder, “Luke, who told you that?”

Luke glowered, “Who do you think? Targent's leader threatened my future self. At this point, our machine wasn't finished yet, so older me, Claire, and Dimitri couldn't do anything to stop them. It was one of the first things I was told about the future after I got here the first time.”

Layton blinked on reflex when the light from a mirror hit his eyes, “That's the signal. Let's go.”

A second later, a distant siren rang out near the opposite wall of the fortress.

Luke grabbed the strap of his bag, “Okay, you remember the plan? Mum and Dad?”

Clark and Brenda took each other's hands as they nodded, quickly heading towards their place near the entrance of the fortress.

“Hershel. Luke. Claire.” Clark said, “Please be careful.”

Luke gave his father a smile, “Don't worry, we'll be fine. Good luck.”

Layton waited until they were out of sight, _“Go.”_

Young Luke went first. He was small and nimble, so he made an ideal scout. Claire was next, using a pair of high-powered binoculars to check for blind spots. Layton was last. He could afford to go slower, but he didn't dare drop his guard either. Young Luke carefully cracked one of the doors open. He gave a quiet gasp, hiding behind the doorway. Claire knelt beside him, and so did Layton.

_“Camera.”_ Luke held his arm up, reaching the other one into his bag for a smoke bomb. He threw it into the hallway when the camera was facing away from them, and the smoke created a cover for them to get inside.

Once they were in the wall, Luke charted a careful path through the hallways. He only had three more bombs, so he could only afford to pass three more cameras before they'd be trapped inside. A few cameras could be skirted at four-way intersections without the need for a smoke screen, but there were also guards posted there, and there were only two of them anyway, so Luke decided to avoid them for his path.

He stopped to think. This situation reminded him of the Hamiltonian Path Problem; A type of puzzle where you must find a path that visits every point in a certain space exactly once. This was different in the sense that every room they visited was highly guarded with armed men, so the less rooms they visited, the better. Luke decided that he would find the path through the outer wall of the fortress that visited as few rooms as possible, passed less than three cameras, and didn't visit four-way intersections at all. He also had to make sure it was the shortest path possible to minimize the chances of being caught, so he started there.

Three possible paths came into his head right away, all about the same length, and all of which passed three cameras or less. One of them went through the first four-way intersection, so he omitted it from the possibilities. It was now between the path that went between both four-way intersections, and one that went below through a straighter course. He didn't have a lot of time to find the answer, but he was confident. One of these paths would be perfect, he was sure, so which should he choose...?

Well, they both _started_ on the same path, so he tilted his head to lead the two adults forward, step by step. The next three-way intersection would split off into his two ideal paths, but he paused before they reached it, as it also contained the first camera.

That was when it hit him.

These two paths did sort of cross in the middle. No matter which path you took, you would be able to see the other through the second four-way intersection. It was a hallway long enough that it stretched through the entire wall, which meant that the camera on the second path had a clear view of the first within one of the three-way intersections. The first path had four cameras thanks to this technicality, so Luke had his answer.

Luke smiled devilishly, throwing the bomb and pointing down the second path. Just to make sure his answer was correct, he traced out every viewpoint in his memo from the second path. Only three cameras could see him on the whole path. Excellent.

_Every puzzle has an answer._ Luke pushed the door open on the other side of the wall, _“How did I do, Professor?”_

Layton tipped his hat, _“Very well, my boy. I was prepared to step in just in case, but it turns out I didn't need to.”_

Luke swelled with pride at the praise. He kept reminding himself to stay focused on his task, but he still had a big, goofy grin on his face the whole time. He spent so much time with Layton that he almost considered him a second father. He had learned a lot from him, and because of how smart the man was, receiving feedback from him was invaluable.

Older Luke's silhouette pierced through the back of Young Luke's mind, making his stomach flip painfully in his abdomen.

He didn't know what he would do without the Professor.

***

Older Luke clambered down from the wall, “Let's go! Quickly!”

The siren bounced back and forth inside his skull as the three of them made a break for the other side of the fortress. Their group was meant only as a distraction, so they wouldn't be here for long, but Luke still hoped to get something done while they were here.

They had to be fast, though. Incredibly fast. Even a single millisecond could get someone shot.

Older Luke’s eyes drifted across the entire yard. Dozens of guns held by soldiers were pointed straight at them as Luke, Dimitri, and Claire stood back-to-back. Luke watched for any signs of movement. He held his breath.

“I honestly wasn't expecting this from you, Triton.”

Luke’s eyes locked onto the newcomer. Greyish skin and scraggly white hair, scars covered every visible part of his body. His eyes were hidden behind black sunglasses.

Older Luke held his tongue. _Don’t say a word. Think about the flow of time._

“Surely the esteemed poster child of this predicament can see.” the man approached them slowly, “Our mission is crucial, and you've been a thorn in our side for five years.”

Luke tried to keep his vulgar thoughts to himself, for the sake of them not dying horribly, “Who are you?”

The man didn't smile. He kept up a kind of tough persona, one that reeked of formality.

“You know me as Swift.” 

_“You’re Swift!?” Luke couldn't hold back now, “You threatened to kidnap my mom, you _cur!”__

_He stopped when he heard some of the guns click._

_Swift rose an eyebrow, “I must say, you have a big mouth for someone on our hitlist.”_

_Claire elbowed Luke lightly. He ignored the jab._

_“It makes me wonder...” Swift gestured to a man standing beside him, “Theo, check our defenses for any more activity.”_

_The man called Theo left, and Luke was able to relax a little. All was going according to plan. Clark and Brenda should be setting up their break-in by now._

_He only hoped that Layton wouldn't be caught._

_“Now then. I'm not going to kill you, Triton. I need you alive.” Swift stood up straight, hands behind his back, “However, I have no use for your two companions. Boys?”_

_“NO!” Luke grabbed their arms, “Don't hurt them!”_

_Swift rose one eyebrow, “Oh? And how do you plan to-!”_

_A transparent shell surrounded the three trespassers, wrapping around them like a shield._

_“You have no idea what we're capable of, Swift.”_

_The gunfire was instant. Luke's ears were drowned out by all the noise as he ran forward, thrusting his shield into the soldiers that surrounded Swift. He disappeared into the crowd. Someone got around Luke's shield long enough to hit his jaw with the butt of their gun, but Luke had retaliated by the time they lifted their gun to fire. Bolting back to his two friends, he dragged them to the nearby watch tower and locked the door behind them. The tower was empty thanks to their distraction, but they wouldn't be safe for long._

_Luke held his arms out to Claire and Dimitri, “Are you two alright?”_

_“What on Earth are they thinking?” Dimitri’s fists were bunched in the fabric of his lab coat, “Open fire? Didn't he just say he needed you alive?”_

_Claire fixed her glasses, “Maybe the bullets are non-lethal. Surely they've got the funding for that?”_

_Luke pressed his back against the cold metal door, “I wasn't quite expecting retaliation like this.”_

_“Luke,” Dimitri took his shoulder, “Are you alright?”_

_Luke placed a hand on his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart, “I'm fine. Bullets don't scare me, lethal or otherwise. Just...give me a moment...”_

_Once he'd caught his breath, he ran up the stairs of the watchtower._

_“Luke, what are you doing?”_

_“Just trust me, Dimitri.” Luke made it to the top, avoiding the slit windows meant for guns._

_The first thing his eyes fell on was a grappling hook. The biggest tower in the fortress had a row of slit windows near its base, so he decided to use the grappling hook to get into the other tower. Unfortunately, there was still the problem of all the men on the ground ready to shoot them as soon as they were in sight. Luke's shield would protect him from getting shot, but for how long? Would the other two be safe going over the trigger-happy soldiers?_

_It was too far to get over quickly, so Luke knew he couldn't afford to take any chances. Nobody could get hit by a single bullet, or one of them could die._

_Dimitri observed Luke's musing, “What are you thinking, Luke?”_

_Luke tapped his foot on the metal floor, “How many more bullets can you both take?”_

_Claire checked the coding in her shield, “Mine's hardly been hit. I could take plenty more.”_

_“Same here.” Dimitri had done the same, “Why?”_

_Luke had an idea. If all three of them could get across on the grappler's cord like a zip line, they could spin around and use each person's shield to block the bullets, but there's no way one grappling hook could hold all their weight, and if they went individually instead, it could take too long to get everyone across, and Swift was already on their trail. What's worse is that there was only one grappling hook, so if Luke was going to pull this off, he had to be clever._

_His eyes scanned the rest of the room for anything else he could use. A broom, a line of loaded guns, bullet shells, a katana, a long roll of chain..._

_Chain. Luke grabbed the edge of the roll to unravel it. It was pretty sturdy and slick from the looks of it, and it was decently long. If he could fashion it to the grappling hook somehow, he was sure it would be enough. He rechecked everything just to make sure, though. If his calculations were even slightly off, the chain would only add weight to their trip._

_He loosened the metal links from their roll, hooking the end of the chain to the claw on the end of the grappler, then he carefully aimed out the window at the other building. He made sure he had a firm grasp on the tool before he pulled the trigger. The chain did add weight to the cord, but Luke had aimed much higher than his target to compensate. Even still, it took a couple of tries to make the chain behave enough for him to hit the edge of the window above the one he wanted to zip to._

_Unfortunately, the soldiers down below were catching on to his plan, so he had to duck frequently to avoid getting shot._

__Come on. Please._ Luke’s hands were shaking, but he still managed to finally hook the window, “Perfect!”_

_He secured the other end of the chain to the opposite slit window, pulling with all his weight to test its endurance._

_Claire caught on first, “Luke, what are we doing?”_

_Luke hooked his bag around the chain, pulling it into a loose knot, “We're all going across together. Dimitri, Claire, give me your bags.”_

_Catching on to the idea, they complied. Luke tied all three bags together at the knot, sliding into the strap of his own bag and tying it loosely around his chest._

_“Come here! Let me strap you in!”_

_Once all three of them were stuck together, hanging from the knot, Luke looped his arms into theirs._

_“Dimitri, when I kick off the window, I'm going to spin you below me so you can block the bullets with your shield.” he went through the plan quickly, “If your shield breaks, we'll all spin so that Claire can take your place.”_

_Dimitri tied his hair back so it wasn't in his face, “Your shield is broken, isn't it?”_

_Luke drooped, “Yes, but nevermind that. Are you two ready?”_

_“Almost!” Claire hooked her other arm around Dimitri's free arm, “Okay! Go!”_

_Luke stepped back, then he began to run forward, yanking the other two up onto his back just as he jumped from the window and kicked off the building, twisting around so Dimitri could block the barrage of bullets. The wind whipped their hair and stung their eyes as they dropped nearly parallel to the wall until the cord and the chain pulled them back up. Within a second, they were almost halfway across the zipline._

_“My shield!” Dimitri saw it flicker._

_“Okay! Ready, Claire!?”_

_“Ready!”_

_Luke braced against them, his chest hurting from the strap of his bag, “Three, two, one!”_

_They twisted around so Claire was blocking the bullets instead, and Dimitri sheathed his shield to let it recharge. Almost there._

_“GO!”_

_They came to a sudden stop, jumping from their bags just as the grappler lost its grip on the window. The three of them were left sprawled on the floor surrounded by everything Luke carried in his bag. Dog and cat treats, seeds, notebooks and pencils, the ocarina. All the air left Dimitri’s lungs. Claire's glasses broke._

_Luke blacked out for a moment. The silence after the gunshots was crushing._

_His chest was heavy._

__Professor..._ Luke’s head was pounding, _Please...__

_ _Please help me._ _

_***_


	11. Chapter 11

“Claire?”

Layton and Young Luke, descended further into the base, easily slipping into the tower that was now unguarded thanks to the distraction, but somewhere in the building, Claire had wandered off.

“That's odd...” Luke bumped into Layton in the darkness, “She was here just a moment ago.”

“She must have gotten lost in the confusion of the yard.” Layton said, “Come on, I'm certain she's nearby.”

Luke’s parents could probably be found by now. Young Luke tried not to think about it.

Now that they were alone in the deep and dank hallways, Young Luke stopped, one hand on the wall. Layton had noticed his downcast behavior before of course, but he wasn't sure if he should ask. When Luke averted his gaze and hung his head, however...he couldn't stay silent anymore.

“Luke...” Layton placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, “Luke, what's wrong?”

Luke sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

“Hershel? Luke?”

“Ah, Claire.” Layton accepted her relieved embrace, “Where did you go?”

“Just got turned around, sweetheart. Won't happen again.” Claire moved to stand in front of Luke, “Hey, are you okay?”

Luke stared at the ground, his blue cap hiding his expression. He took a shaky breath of air.

_“I don't want the Professor to die.”_

“Oh, Luke.” Layton pulled him in for a hug, and Luke held tightly to him, crying into his chest.

_“I can't stand the thought of losing you.”_ Luke babbled, his voice muffled by Layton's orange shirt, _“You're like family to me. I kind of think of you as an uncle because you're such good friends with Mum and Dad. It would kill me if you died.”_

“Luke,” Layton rubbed Luke's back, “Luke, it's okay. I'm here now.”

Layton's heart hurt. Out of all the sounds he'd ever heard, Luke crying was one of the worst. He always tried so hard to stay strong and be a gentleman, but everyone had their limits, and he was only a child.

Luke finally stepped back, his sobs devolving into quiet sniffles.

“Here.” Claire pulled a handkerchief from her shirt pocket, “If I'm being honest, Luke...I kind of think of you as my nephew.”

Luke looked up at her over the handkerchief, “Really?”

“True family knows no bloodlines, my boy.” Layton smiled at him, “Claire and I only met your parents in university, but the bonds we share are everlasting.”

Luke fiddled with the neck of his sweater.

“Luke.” Layton waited until Luke's attention was on him, “It's going to be alright.”

_“I don’t want you to die.”_

“I know.”

Luke leaned with his back to the wall. He took several shaking breaths before he was able to speak again, handing Claire her handkerchief back.

“I know we should keep going, but...I really ought to tell you something...”

***

_Luke stretched as he woke up. His bedroom greeted him with its nice blue walls. He took his time getting dressed, smelling breakfast even through his bedroom door._

_“Good morning, Mum.” Luke yawned as he sat at the dining room table._

_“Good morning, sweetheart.” she kissed the top of his head as she passed him a plate of pancakes._

_“Ooh! Thank you!”_

_“Don't eat them too fast!” she teased, “I can always make more.”_

_“You're the best!”_

_No school today. It was always a nice feeling. Before Luke could finish his plate though, there was a quiet knock at the door._

_“I'll get it.” Luke offered, “Thanks for the food!”_

_He put his cap on by the door before he answered it, but once he had it open, his smile fell in bewilderment._

_It was...himself?_

_“Hello. Luke Triton?”_

_Luke took a step back in fear._

_“D-Don't be alarmed.” the teenager smiled awkwardly, “I need your help with something. Please.”_

_He seemed sincere enough, and his mother was in the other room, “Who are you?”_

_The person looked all around in paranoia before leaning in to whisper, _“I know this may be hard to believe, but I'm you from the future."__

_“What?” Luke narrowed his eyes, “Oh sure. I definitely believe you.”_

_The person nodded in understanding, “Don't worry. I know precisely what will convince you.”_

_He reached into his bag for something, and when he retrieved it, Luke paled._

_“Check your bag. You still have it.”_

_Luke scrambled for his bag, right beside the front door. To his relief-and his confusion-he still had his red ocarina. It was custom made by hand, so there wasn't another like it in the whole world. Even if there was, both were signed in the exact same messy script in the exact same place; Arianna Barde._

_Luke scowled, “I still don't believe you.”_

_The other boy nodded, “I know. That's why I have another trick.”_

_He leaned in a little closer, cupping his hands around his mouth to whisper. When he was finished, Luke staggered backward._

_“I...” he rubbed his eyes vigorously before staring wide-eyed at himself. At Older Luke, “I don't believe it.”_

_“You'd better believe it, little me.” Older Luke held out his hand, “So. Help me?”_

_I'm not that little. Young Luke pushed the thought from his head, “Why do you need my help?”_

_“Well, because you're me for starters.” Older Luke closed the door behind him, satisfied he had earned his past self's trust, “If I can't count on myself for help, then who can I ask?”_

_“Blimey...” Young Luke mumbled._

_Older Luke fiddled with the ocarina as he spoke, “I need to lure the Professor to a time machine set up in Big Ben. You see, I want to be certain I won't get an imposter, and the best way to do that is through his apprentice number one.”_

_“But why?” Young Luke shook his head, “Why do you need the Professor? What happened in the future?”_

_“Ah...well...you see...” Older Luke bit his nail, “I'm afraid...the Professor..”_

_Young Luke realized what he was about to say the second before the words left his mouth._

_“The Professor...he's been murdered.”_

_Young Luke’s blank gaze hit the floor. He was silent for several long minutes, and Older Luke gave him that time to process the grizzly revelation._

_“I know, it's a lot to take in, but if you help me, we can stop him from meeting such a gruesome fate.”_

_Young Luke straightened his back._

_“Mum!” he called into the kitchen, “I'm going out with a friend!”_

_“Hurry back!”_

_Older Luke beamed, “Thank you, now let's go. We've got no time to spare.”_

_He added one last comment before escorting his younger self out of the house towards Big Ben._

_“Literally.”_

***

Layton listened with a keen ear. Young Luke wrung his hands together once he'd finished, his eyes avoiding eye contact with the two adults.

“I didn't fully process the idea of your murder back then.” Young Luke kicked at the ground, “After all, we were on a mission to fix it, right? But now that I know you have to start out being dead for any of this to happen...it's all I can think about.”

Layton sighed, pressing a hand to his mouth.

“I don't want to live without you for four years.” Luke took his cap off to wipe his forehead, “I can't stand the idea. I can hardly comprehend it.”

Layton closed his eyes, “Luke...I understand why you feel that way. I don't want myself to die either, but we're going to fix it if I have any say in the matter.” Layton held Luke's shoulders, “Do you understand?”

Luke smiled through his tears, _“Yeah...”_

“Good.” Layton started down the hallway again, “Now, let's see about that prisoner, shall we?”

Luke fixed his cap on his head, his spirits renewed, “Okay!”

It was just one more staircase to the basement of the tower. The lights were dim this far down, but Luke could still tell that it was much dirtier than higher floors. All the cells along the wall were empty, except for one.

The three of them froze in their tracks.

The woman in the cell was lying on a thin mat, shivering from the cold. Her outfit was yellow, so she really stood out against the grime, and her long bushy hair was tangled and sticking to her face. She stared at the newcomers in fear, but she must have recognized that they weren't working for Targent.

After several seconds of heavy silence, a sob broke through the woman's chest.

_“Help.”_

***


	12. Chapter 12

Layton immediately went to the lock on the cell door, “Claire, help me get this open.”

Claire examined the lock, “It's not a puzzle. Luke, do you have something I could use to get this open?”

“Oh! Yes!” Luke procured a pick from his bag, “Here.”

“Thank you.”

While Claire worked on the lock, Luke turned his attention to the prisoner, “What's your name?”

The woman brushed her hair back, revealing a black eye, “I-It's Altava. Emmy Altava.”

Luke was sure he'd heard the name before. Hadn't Older Luke mentioned an Emmy?

“Are you okay? You're hurt!”

Emmy didn't reply.

“Emmy?” Luke grasped the bars of the cage, but he wasn't small enough to fit through them, “How long have they kept you here?”

Emmy huddled into the mat, still freezing cold, “I don't know. I lost track of time.”

“Got it!” Claire yanked on the rusted door, pulling it open with a _Screech!_

Luke ran inside, “Come on! Get up!”

Layton helped Emmy sit up. Claire took off her lab coat to wrap around Emmy's shoulders, and she gratefully slipped her arms into the sleeves.

“Thank you.” she looked up at Layton, “Who...are you...?”

Layton tipped his hat, “My name is Hershel Layton.”

“But that can't be.” Emmy blinked several times, as if convinced her eyes were playing tricks on her, “Professor Layton is dead.”

Layton hid his eyes beneath his hat. Luke and Claire shared a glance.

“Nevermind that for now.” Layton wrapped an arm around her back, “Can you stand?”

Emmy swayed, “I don't think so. I can't believe...I'm not supposed to be weak...”

“Hush, now.” Layton carefully lifted her into his arms, “Are you in pain?”

Emmy hesitated, then she weakly nodded.

Layton stood up, holding her bridal-style, “We'd better get back to the others. Quickly now.”

As the group of four ascended the staircase, they began to hear constant gunshots. A crash reverberated throughout the ground floor, then utter silence.

“Clark and Brenda will have their distraction in place.” Layton headed in the opposite direction of where he knew they were, “We don't have a lot of time, let's just keep going and-!”

He stopped when he realized he heard a voice.

_“Luke, please. Snap out of it. We have to go. Layton is alive, please respond.”_

It was Dimitri. Layton set Emmy down so she was propped up against the wall, mumbling a _“Sorry.”_ when she winced in pain. Dimitri and Older Claire were consoling a very pale Older Luke, who was on his knees, staring into the ground with glassy eyes.

Layton approached cautiously, “Dimitri, what's going on?”

Dimitri jumped, “Oh, Hershel. I'm afraid Luke is in the middle of a panic attack. Please help him, he can't hear me.”

Layton lifted Luke's chin. The sheer nothing that looked back at him was frightening. Older Luke was only physically present. His mind was somewhere else.

“Luke?” Layton shook him, “Luke, can you hear me?”

Luke’s eyes softened as he spoke very softly.

_“He’s gone.”_

His gaze fell again, his breaths shallow.

_“He's dead. I was too late.”_ he slumped over, _“It's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Professor.”_

Layton didn't know what to do. His eyes landed on Older Claire, who decided to explain.

“Luke is in a flashback. He's seeing you after you died as if it's happening all over again. If we don't snap him out of it soon-!”

Another crash was heard in the distance. Older Luke didn't react.

“Luke.” Layton shook him more firmly than before, “Luke! Snap out of it! It's not too late!”

Luke's eyes regained their focus, “Professor?”

He looked around, as if he was confused about where he was and what he was just doing.

“That's right. That's right! You're alive.” he regained his composure, “I'm so sorry about that. What...did you get the prisoner?”

Layton ran back to where Emmy was sitting to pick her up again, “Yes. Let's go.”

Emmy started, “Luke? Is that you?”

Older Luke nodded as he rounded the corner, “Yes. It's me. It's been awhile, huh?”

“You're taller than I last saw you.” Emmy gave a hoarse cough, “You need to stop growing.”

Luke grimaced, “And you need to stop getting into trouble. Professor, where's Mum and Dad?”

“They should be on the other side of the fortress by now.” Layton yanked the door open to take them outside, “I fear for their safety. Let's get out of here.”

***

“Ugh!” Dimitri locked the lab door behind them, “Luke, you're going to get us killed one day!”

Older Luke pushed the table on its side so it could block the window, “I was not expecting open fire!”

“Open fire!?” Clark was out of breath, “What on earth happened out there!? You were supposed to merely create a distraction!”

“I did, but then Swift came out and said they needed me alive, and-!” Older Luke choked before he could get the words out, muttering a soft curse.

Layton reached for him, “Luke, what is-!?”

“Stay back!” Luke grasped his shoulder tightly, “Ow ow ow ow!”

“Luke!” Dimitri caught him before he could fall, “What's wrong? Is it your shoulder?”

Layton looked between Claire and Young Luke, at a loss for what to do.

It was then when he realized something. Something he can't believe he missed.

Claire's scar was missing.

The pieces clicked into place, “Aha!”

Older Luke sat down in the chair Dimitri offered, “Professor? What's wrong?”

Layton smiled, “I see. You truly think I wouldn't notice?” he shot a mischievous look towards Older Luke, “I know my wife better than anyone.”

Older Luke beamed, “You figured it out? Wonderful! Take it away, Professor!”

Young Luke was excited, but confused, “What did you figure out?”

Layton shrugged, “It's quite simple, really.”

They knew this part well. They stayed silent as the Professor elaborated.

“From the beginning, I began to notice that Older Luke keeps grabbing his shoulder as if it makes him uncomfortable, but I know for certain that Young Luke doesn't have an injury there, so he must have gotten it after he came here to the future.” Layton closed his eyes, his hand on his chin, “Furthermore, I know someone else with an old injury that bothers them. Which means that...”

His eyes opened.

“Someone here has lied to me.”

Clark, Brenda, Older Claire, Younger Claire, Dimitri, Young Luke, and Older Luke all waited in anticipation. Which one of them would get the Layton finger of guilt?

“And that person is YOU!”

Layton turned to point straight at Younger Claire.

She took a step back, but she didn't seem too shocked.

“Claire?” Young Luke said.

“Yes.” Layton touched his forehead, “My wife has a scar on her forehead.”

Younger Claire laughed, “Your wife. That's incredible.”

“Wait, so...” Young Luke counted something on his fingers, “She's not the real Claire? Is she an imposter?”

“Not quite, my boy.” Layton's eyes didn't leave the young scientist, “She is still Claire, just not the one we know. Allow me to explain. If you'll recall, a few months ago in our time, Claire was in a failed time travel experiment. However, it wasn't quite a failure, was it?”

“Aha!” Young Luke pointed into the air, “So this is the version of Claire from that experiment!”

Dimitri massaged his temple, “Is that true? It wasn't a total failure?”

Older Claire stepped in for her, “Yes. I didn't tell you because I was afraid of messing with the flow of time.”

“You knew all of this would happen from the beginning.” Layton straightened the collar of his jacket, “My version of Claire swapped places with you in the confusion of the yard between the wall and the fortress, because she needed to take care of something important. And it has to do...”

His finger pointed at Older Luke, a twinkle in his eye.

“...with you.”

Older Luke frowned.

“If I'm not mistaken, you have a scar beneath your shirt; A scar that my Luke will receive today. This is an event that Claire will assist in, and one that will define the rest of our entire timeline.”

Older Luke sighed, his gaze moving to the floor, “Professor...”

He slowly and mechanically unbuttoned his vest, then the top buttons of his shirt. He loosened his tie enough to get it around the collar.

Young Luke's hands instinctively moved up to his throat. Older Luke had a huge ugly scar stretching from his neck to his side. The skin was raised and discolored along the scar, even going as far back as his shoulder blade.

“You are absolutely right.”

Brenda immediately ran to him, Clark at his other side, “Oh, Luke...”

Younger Claire hung her head.

“It's time for Claire to go back.” Older Luke nodded towards Dimitri, who quickly left the room to set things up with the time machine.

“I will do everything to fix this.” Claire suddenly hugged Layton, her face hidden in his chest, “I guess...this is the last time you'll see me without my scar?”

“Claire, my dear...” Layton lifted her head, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs, “I understand it must be upsetting to have such an obvious scar, but as I will tell you many times; Nothing could tarnish your beauty for me. The important thing is that you lived. I couldn't care less about your physical appearance when you make me the happiest man on Earth.”

Claire blinked away the tears that gathered in her eyes, _“Hershel.”_

Layton kissed her forehead, “Oh, and...when I ask you to marry me, can you pretend you weren't expecting it?”

“Yes of course!” Claire stood on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. It was only a simple lip-lock, but Layton was happy to let it linger.

“So, then...” Layton held her hands, “I'll see you in the hospital?”

Claire’s smile was blissful.

“I can't wait.”

***


	13. Chapter 13

The biggest room in the basement was the one that held the first version of the time machine. It could only fit one person at a time, so it wasn't nearly as elaborate as the one in Big Ben, but it still filled up most of the room.

“Step into the circle, Claire.” Dimitri told her, “I'll send you a couple minutes ahead of the time you left, to avoid the explosion.”

“Thank you, Dimitri.” Claire let go of Layton's hand to move to the center of the room, apprehensive for the moment she'd be sent back.

“Alright. I'm starting up the machine, now.” Dimitri pressed a few buttons on the console, “And, uh...you might want to sit down. The spaghettification of the wormhole can be quite uncomfortable.”

Claire was about to comply as the machine whirred to life, but the building was suddenly broken into with a loud explosion. 

After that, everything happened at once.

A piece of debris hit Claire in the head as she began to disappear, right were Older Claire's scar was. Half her face was covered in blood. Her form began to stretch, turning increasingly red-shifted until she disappeared. The men who broke in restrained Dimitri first, then two gunshots were heard. Layton ran to Young Luke, who had been thrown to the ground in the initial explosion. His favorite sweater was now more red than blue, as his whole left side was bleeding.

“Professor!” Older Luke’s form shimmered, then he fell.

“Luke!” the intruders tore Layton away from Young Luke, “Hey! Let me go!”

He was hit over the head, and he passed out.

***

_“Professor.”_

Layton’s head hurt. He didn’t want to wake up.

_“Professor, wake up.”_

It was a familiar voice. Was it Luke? Layton tried to open his eyelids, but they were heavy.

_“Please wake up. I don’t know what to do, and I need your help.”_

Layton forced himself to sit up in panic, “Ugh...Luke?”

“Professor...” Young Luke was wrapped in crude bandages, lying on his back with one arm over the injury, “It really hurts, please help me.”

Layton leaned over him, reeling at the smell of blood, “Oh no...”

“Professor.”

Older Luke was there too. His form was blurry around the edges, like he was about to disappear. They were in some kind of medical wing with firm mats that acted as beds. There was a bloodstain all along the floor, as if Young Luke had been dragged here. Layton's top hat was at the door.

“Luke, what’s going on?” Layton put one hand on each Lukes’ shoulders, “What happened?”

Older Luke’s arm was over his shoulder, where his scar was, “The...the time stream isn’t certain at this point what to do with me. Little me is going to die unless we act, so I will never exist here. This is the part where I need you.”

He briefly blacked out, the shimmering around him growing brighter. Young Luke whimpered, tears streaming down his face.

Layton caught him, “What should I do?”

Older Luke blinked blearily, “Don’t worry, it’s not too late. After all, the fact that I’m here in the first place is proof that I’ll be fine. Your version of Claire should still be in this building. Find her, and get to the top floor. Swift will be waiting for you. I’ll find Dimitri so he can help little me.”

Layton didn’t want to leave. After all, if he messed something up, then Luke would die. Older Luke must have sensed his unease, because he offered a hopeful smile.

“Everyone is alive, Professor. That much I can promise you.” he struggled to keep his eyes open, his words slurring just a tiny bit, “Mum and Dad were here too. They'll be back at any moment, if I'm not mistaken. Please. You're our only hope.”

Young Luke squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. Layton gently pat his head.

Older Luke’s hand joined Layton's on Young Luke's head, “Go. We'll be waiting for you here.”

Layton gave them both a determined nod, standing up to retrieve his hat and placing it gingerly over his injured head.

“Don't worry, Luke.” he promised, “I'm going to save both of us.”

Older Luke leaned back on the wall to rest, “I know you will succeed.

_“After all, I've seen you do it before.”_

***

The twisting corridors were getting more and more narrow the higher Layton climbed. Luke's tear-stained face was painfully stitched into his memory. It told him that failure was not an option. It told him that he wasn't running fast enough. It told him he was running out of time.

“Hershel!”

Layton jumped, “Claire! You startled me!”

His version of Claire. The one with a scar. The one from his time. The both of them hurried down the hallway, making it to the last staircase before the top.

“Sorry for leaving so abruptly. I assume you figured it out?”

Layton held his hat to make sure it didn’t fall, “How can you move so freely throughout this building without arousing suspicion?”

“Well, they already have a young version of me. They don’t expect there to be any more than that.” Claire stopped at the door, “Here it is. Are you ready?”

Layton brushed his shirt down, “Let's just get this over with. Luke is counting on me.”

Claire nodded, pushing the door open with great care.

Inside was a nice sitting room with bookshelves, colorful rugs, lush furniture, and some archeological keepsakes. Claire passed all of this to sit at the computer console.

“The other me will have this partially sorted at least.” Claire's eyebrows shot up, “Oh no!”

A click from a handgun came from the doorway.

“I suggest you step away from the console.”

The back of Layton's neck was sweating. He slowly turned to face Swift, who stared ahead at them blankly, the gun in his hand pointing right at Claire's head.

Claire stood from the console, her hands in the air, then she turned to Swift as well.

Nobody moved. The room was dead-silent.

“Good.” Swift moved further into the room, his gaze fixed on Claire.

“Don't come any closer!” Layton jumped in front of his wife to shield her. He tried to sound assertive, but his voice shook with obvious panic.

Swift didn't react, “It seems I can't get rid of you, Layton. No matter what I do, you just keep getting in my way...”

His eyebrows lifted slightly up, the closest he'd ever come to expressing emotions.

“Ah. I see.” Swift sheathed the gun after turning on the safety. Without another word, he turned on the console, stepping into a metal cylinder that jutted out of the wall, and disappeared without a trace.

Claire immediately returned to the console, “He’s going to murder you.”

“What!?” Layton glanced out the giant window, “Right now!?”

“Yes.” Claire made an adjustment on the keyboard, “This was the moment he decided to murder you. He’s going back in time right now.”

_“Unbelievable...”_ Layton gazed at the screen, but all the symbols’ meanings escaped him, “How do we stop him!?”

“I don’t know, just let me figure it out.” Claire was focused on typing, “After all, we’ve got time.”

Layton narrowed his eyes, sighing very slowly.

“No. We don’t.” Layton touched the chair his wife sat in, “Luke is still downstairs. He’s going to die.”

Claire looked up at him, her eyes shiny from tears, “Hershel, you don’t...”

“I don’t care what becomes of me.” Layton tipped his hat, “I want you to save Luke first.”

Claire was about to argue, but the words never left her mouth. She bit her tongue, then she looked away.

“Fine.” she returned to the keyboard, _“You,_ at least, have all the time in the world.”

A loud bang was heard lower in the building.

“Is he back?” Claire pulled up a new screen, “Already!?”

Layton watched the map on the screen, where an explosion had sounded in the medical wing.

“Luke!” Claire began to type even faster, “Hershel! Get downstairs! Stop them! Stall for time! I need to finish this!”

“Got it!” Layton left in a hurry, closing the door to hopefully block out any sounds she made inside.

His heart beat a mile a minute as he sprinted down those stairs as fast as his feet could carry him. He scoured every hallway he passed for anything he could use as a weapon. He didn’t find much, but he did find a long, thin sword. He was skilled in fencing at least, though it would do no good against guns, but it was all he could find, so it would have to do. As it turned out, the explosion was nowhere near where the Lukes were, but it didn’t put the professor at ease at all.

“Luke!” Layton burst into the room.

Young Luke was unconscious, though his wound was much more professionally bandaged than before. It must have been Dimitri. Older Luke appeared to have stabilized, but that didn’t mean he was better. Layton wasn’t sure, but he almost looked...transparent?

“Professor...” Older Luke had just enough energy to lift his head from where he lay, “I...I figured it out. Everything.”

Layton knelt beside him, dropping the sword and lifting the teenager’s head into his lap, “Luke. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t...don’t apologize.” Luke’s breathing was labored, “Hey, listen to me. Swift is accidently going to create an anomaly in the Higgs Field.”

Layton tried to listen, but he was distracted by how Luke’s voice wavered and wheezed.

“The Higgs Field is in a state of stable instability. It pretends to be stable, but it isn’t at all. If you create a way for the Higgs Field to release its energy, it’s like setting fire to an entire continent of gunpowder at the speed of light. Our whole solar system will be wiped in a fraction of a femtosecond. We won’t even have any time to register that we’ve been deleted from the universe.”

Layton ran his thumb over Luke’s forehead, which dripped with sweat, “How do I stop it?”

Luke pulled the most determined expression he could in such a weak state, “Follow him. Swift is going back in time to murder you. You will intercept him, and you will stop him. Dimitri and both Claires will work here to reverse and dampen the effects of the paradox.”

A black portal opened up near the explosion, stemming from the machine that caused it. A scene was visible inside the portal, though the edges around it were clearly warped.

“This is it.” Luke said simply, “This is the moment I’ve been fighting for for so long. This will determine everything about our current timeline.”

Layton let Luke lay back down, picking up his sword.

He ran for the portal.

_“Go, and God be with you.”_

***


	14. Chapter 14

Going through this time portal was an odd experience. Layton was weightless, floating as if in a void. He instinctively reached to grab his hat. He wasn’t sure which way was up or down. He could still breathe, so he wasn’t in space, but he had a feeling he wasn’t on Earth either.

He realized that the portal was being controlled by Claire.

In the next second, a scene played out for him, like he was watching a video file on a computer screen. It was on the way to his destination.

He watched intently.

It was a scene of a small sitting room. Luke was lying on the couch, watching something on the telly. At this point in time, he looked to be about 13-14 years old, near the time the professor was murdered in other words. The darkness outside indicated it was late at night. Every once in awhile, the show Luke was watching would win a ghost of a smile from him, but he was clearly too tired and sad to laugh.

Layton's heart broke watching this. He wanted to reach out, but something held him back.

_“Luke?”_ Claire walked into the room, _“Are you still up?”_

Luke didn't look up from the telly. The laugh track played in the show, but he didn't smile.

_“Luke.”_ Claire sat beside him, on the cushion in front of his legs, _“I know you’re still devastated, but you need to sleep.”_

Luke shook his head, rubbing his already messy hair on the armrest, _“Can’t. Keep seeing him.”_

Layton watched as Claire placed her hand on Luke’s shoulder, wishing he could stop here so he could help, but this was already set in time. Further tampering could be disastrous.

_“I’m so sorry.”_ Claire took the remote to turn the volume down on the telly, _“You’ve been watching this all day. You need to sleep.”_

Luke huddled further into the cushions.

_“I don’t want to sleep.”_ his voice lacked emotion, making him sound cold and dead, _“I’m going to have nightmares again. He’s going to die again. He’s going to blame me again.”_

“I would never blame you!” Layton found himself exclaiming, but the two in the portal didn’t react, “It wasn’t your fault, Luke!”

He didn’t want to watch this anymore, but it continued to play in front of him. Claire clearly wanted him to see this, but why?

_“Luke...”_ Claire brushed his hair from his cheek, _“You know he would never blame you.”_

Luke sat up to hug her, all out of tears to cry. Claire held him close, softly shushing and rocking him back and forth.

_“I miss him.”_ Luke whispered, _“I miss him so much.”_

_“I know, Luke. I do too.”_

The scene faded, and the machine he was flowing through put text in front of his eyes;

_This is more important than just saving you.  
Save yourself.  
Save Luke.  
Save this timeline.  
I know you can do it._

Layton saw the entire universe as if he was moving through both space and time. So, this was how Hawk’s machine was different from theirs? It stretched ahead of him, hundreds, thousands of light years compressed into hours. Seconds ticked by in the span of billions of years.

This was precisely the problem. Dimitri and Claire made absolute certain that their machine wouldn’t create paradoxes, as the user at the console had complete control of the gate; Where it would end up, how long it would stay, how many people were allowed to cross over, etc. By contrast, Hawk’s machine gave the _traveler_ control once they were _inside._ This made the possibility of paradoxes much higher, and so Layton was in a precarious situation.

Each thread throughout the vastness of space led to a timeline. He had to make sure none of them were touched aside from the one he was looking for. As Luke said, even one tiny deviation could have far-reaching consequences. He could follow a thread as far as the next split, which would lead to two more paths, but he couldn't go backwards, and he had to follow a thread all the way to the split, without stopping in the middle.

One of the final splits was the one he needed to stop at; One path led to his murder, the other was one where he survived. This split would be at the very end.

So this was the question...

_How could he find it without testing each path first?_

He knew at once there must be some similarities between them he could determine. If the threads started at the big bang, then he would have to pick the thread that allowed for further expansion without going out too far for gravity to clump matter together. Which thread would that be? If he only had _one more detail..._

Aha! The final piece. Layton looked through each thread like he was looking through a spyglass. The threads resembled the red string of fate from farther away, but from this vantage point, he could see everything from the biggest neutron star to the smallest elementary particles. It was all a bit fuzzy, but he had the benefit of knowing roughly how events play out according to a scientists’ best hypothesis.

He pressed into each thread with his eyes until he found the correct thread. Pausing to make sure he had the right thread, he reached out to grab it, moving along it to the next major event; The formation of the sun, and the debris that swirled around it that would eventually become the nine planets of the solar system. Only one thread led to the formation of Earth, so Layton picked that one. Next was the formation of life; A single-celled organism rising from organic material in the primordial ooze. Layton was just lucky he didn't need to stop at every single place where a new timeline was created, just the major ones lined out thanks to the calculations in Hawks’ time machine.

By the time the first humans came along, his job became a bit more complicated. He wasn't much of a history buff, though he was lucky at least that his major in archaeology helped him out a lot, but even so, he couldn't afford to make even a single mistake, or their timeline would be doomed. Australopithecus, Homo Erectus, Homo Neanderthalensis, he didn't remember all their names, but he knew enough to track their qualities from the ape-like ancestor to modern-day human. This led to a much more personal “zooming in”; Looking closer into the individual events that led to his life as Hershel Layton.

Layton had to really reach back to remember every step from here. He didn't know much about his birth family, as he was adopted into the Layton family at age 7, but he did know a bit more about Luke's lineage, as Clark and Brenda were his two best friends, so that made things a bit easier for him. He could have tracked his own adopted family instead, but he feared that if events in his personal genetics didn't line up, he never would have been born, or he could have died before he was adopted. He had a lot to keep track of, but the threads made it a bit easier to take each step carefully and with purpose.

_This is so complicated._ Layton thought in exasperation. He had to stop and rest a lot, as his brain was in overdrive thinking of every single path at every single step.

He thought of Young Luke, who had such a bright smile. The boy was a ray of sunlight in his life, always excited and happy. He thought of the boy, wasting away in a hospital room because of a careless explosion, bleeding through his bandages and crying in pain.

He thought of Older Luke. No longer a young boy, but a young man, obviously haunted by events he couldn't control. He was smart and brave, but he had lost some of that light overtime. His smile was tarnished by grief. His sweet and carefree nature was replaced by restlessness and unease.

He thought of Claire, who nearly died because of a careless colleague. He thought of the way her eyes would light up when she was talking about science, how her glasses would fog up due to temperature changes in her lab. He thought of the way she would hold his hand, not just physically, but figuratively as well. She was his rock. She was his love.

Layton didn't know how long he was there for. It felt like days, but he never grew hungry or thirsty. He never grew sleepy, and his mental processes didn't slow, even though he was thinking hard about something so important. He wondered if he was frozen in time in this machine. Did Hawks truly intend on weaving reality as he saw fit?

It didn't matter. Layton had to do this right. He owed it to that boy he loved so much. The one who sacrificed so much to save his mentor's life.

Brenda Penford marries Clark Triton and becomes Brenda Triton.

Almost there.

He was so close.

***


	15. Chapter 15

Hershel Layton’s marriage to Claire Foley-Layton. This was the final major event before the present Layton and Young Luke came from. He had no idea what was left before the end, as by this point, it was his future. He wasn't going to blindly guess, so he took each next step slowly, even more slowly than he had been going thus far. He strained to remember what he knew of the future up until the moment of his murder. For one, Older Luke had assured him that everyone was alive, so he chose the thread where nobody else related to their adventure died. This included any way Layton himself died too early for the event.

He tried not to look too hard at these, as there were alternate timelines where Luke was killed in the past instead of Layton, or Claire, or even Dimitri. They were stabbed, shot, poisoned, thrown off of rooftops...

All of these tiny threads ended, indicating a lost timeline. Layton was careful not to pick them.

Finally, after so long in such an odd perspective in viewing the universe, he made it to the final split.

One of the threads was the one where Layton was murdered. He saw the man breaking into his house with a knife. He saw himself drop his tray of tea to throw up his hands, trying to defend himself from the assault. His hands were sliced open. His chest was stabbed three times before the knife cut through his throat. He collapsed onto the floor, bleeding profusely as his hands went up to his neck. He coughed and sputtered, then he relaxed, his eyes open, and the attacker escaped into the daylight, leaving no trace behind.

Layton swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He found himself running his fingers over his adam's apple, unable to comprehend the violent and careless way it would be sliced open in his future.

He took a glance into the other thread laid out for him. He was still attacked, but this time, he managed to run after being stabbed only once, calling for an ambulance once he reached a call booth at the other end of the street. Luke met him in hospital, and he was able to recover after that.

That was the answer, right? Instead of grabbing what really happened, he reached for the thread that led to the more favorable outcome.

Something stopped him, though. This was the most important step in his entire journey. Maybe his brain was fried, but he tried to rethink his actions so he could be 100% positive this was the right decision.

His blood ran cold. No, it was not.

If he had went ahead with his plan to grab the alternate thread, Luke would have no way of knowing he should go back in time to save him, meaning Layton would never have the chance to grab that thread in the first place. It would create a paradox, which they had been trying so hard to prevent.

The thread seemed to glimmer at him, taunting him with the promise of a better future.

Even though it felt so wrong and non-intuitive, he had a much more difficult decision to make. Both threads continued, as if he truly had a choice. He just had to take one final action to solidify the timeline, and save not only himself, but everyone.

He looked at the good timeline, the one where he actually made it to the hospital. He slowly lifted the sword he still carried in his right hand.

He had no choice. He had to cut the thread.

His muscles were stiff. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want Luke to suffer. He didn't want to die. He didn't want this horrible future to come to pass. None of this was right.

The sword touched the thread of the good future.

Layton braced his wrist.

The sharp side of the blade pressed against the thread, making it shine in protest.

_Just go._ He grit his teeth, his lips dry from his harsh breathing, _One swing. That's all it will take._

Three...two...

_Go._

Layton braced himself, then he sliced the thread in half.

His body moved along the other, much worse thread, and he dropped the sword, closing his eyes as he appeared on the other side of the portal.

_Claire, if you're still controlling this thing..._ he looked up through his eyelashes, _Please..._

_Please tell me you have a plan._

***

Older Luke was already feeling stronger, so he left his younger self's side to look for Claire. His parents didn't want him to go alone, so Clark decided to stay with Young luke until he awoke while Brenda went up the stairs with Older Luke. He stumbled a few times, but his mother was there to catch him, even though by now he was taller than her by at least a couple inches.

Brenda opened the door, her other arm around her son, “Claire? Dimitri?”

Older Claire was the one at the console, “Ah! You two are here just in time!”

The visitors crossed the room, joining the others in watching a tiny blip move through the stream of time.

“Is that Hershel?” Brenda traced it with her finger.

“It sure is!” Older Claire cracked her knuckles, “He’s just made it to the other side. This is the part where I split the timestream right before his death so a copy of him can come back.”

The cylinder in the wall opened up, depositing the sword, but no professors.

Older Luke was holding his breath, _“How much longer?”_

“Not too long, now.” Dimitri retrieved the sword, “Come on, Hershel, there’s a reason it had to be you. You can figure it out.”

***

On Claire's computer screen, the red thread began to split once again, but this time, it was a little different...

Layton opened his eyes. He was standing in his living room at home. Something still felt off, though. He was watching the world as if in a lucid dream, like an out-of-body perspective, but nothing he actually saw hinted as to why he would be feeling that way.

Then he understood.

He saw himself, standing up from his desk, but his vision was doubled. There was two of him existing in the same place. One of them stopped to look at himself, while the other continued on his way.

Layton lifted his hand.

The other Layton grasped it.

***

“There!” Claire hit the enter key as the cylinder opened up again, “He's done it!”

Layton emerged from the cylinder, still holding onto the other Layton's hand.

“Professor...” Older Luke covered his mouth.

“Luke?” the Layton that had been pulled from the future scratched his head beneath the hat, “What's going on? Where am I?”

The first Layton stepped back as he nodded, “You've been through this before. I think you can figure it out.”

Future Layton was puzzled to be sure, but he still tried to think. As he looked around, he seemed to slowly realize what was happening, until his eyes were damp with tears.

“I...” Luke approached him, “I missed you, Professor...”

Future Layton frowned, “Oh Luke...you've grown up so much...”

Luke sniffed, _“Professor...”_

Future Layton held out his arms, and Luke gladly accepted the hug.

_“After all this time, I finally have you back...”_ Luke cried into Layton's shoulder, _“Don't ever leave me again, please...”_

“Don't worry, Luke.” Layton held him close, “I never plan to.”

Past Layton smiled wide. He was successful. Luke would survive. He would survive. There were no other complications, and the time stream would continue without a hitch.

“Professor?” Young Luke appeared in the doorway, Clark by his side, “What happened? Did you do it?”

His bandaged wound didn't appear to be bothering him anymore, which was a good thing of course, but how did he recover so quickly? Unless time had passed here while Layton was gone...

Younger Claire gave Layton a knowing smirk. Perhaps it was better he didn't know.

“Yes, my boy. I did.” Layton tipped his hat towards the young apprentice, “Now, it's time for us to go home.”

***


	16. Chapter 16

Older Luke was different after their mission was completed. He stood up straighter. He spoke in a lighter tone. His smile had some of that light in it. Past Layton would look at the teenager and really see his Luke in him. It made him somewhat emotional.

Older Luke still had that bright smile by the time he gathered every past version of people back to Big Ben, still talking about the reason certain sites need to be used for time travel.

“...so that's why it had to be Big Ben; It hasn't changed in over fifty years, so you won't arrive in the new time inside of a wall for example.”

“Wow.” Young Luke whistled as he climbed up the last step on the stairs, “This is so complicated! Maybe you should go to uni as a scientist!”

“Heh. Maybe.” Older Luke failed to mention that he had never actually finished secondary school, “Anyway...I guess, this is it then?”

Young Luke lost his smile, “Yeah...”

“Hey. Don't be like that.” Older Luke knelt down, placing both hands on his younger self's shoulders, “I still exist within you. This isn't goodbye.”

Young Luke nodded, “Yeah. Okay.”

Older Luke swallowed, his grip becoming marginally tighter.

“Even so...I don't want you to become me. I'm not a good person, little me.” he frowned sadly, “You deserve better than the person I am now.”

Young Luke opened his mouth to retort, but his future self beat him to it.

“I have some important advice for you, okay? No matter what happens, I want you to hold on to your morals. Never forget to be kind to those who have earned your love, and never forget to be a gentleman.” Older Luke’s smile this time was soft, “Can you do that for me?”

Tears gathered in Young Luke’s eyes. He grabbed his older self in a sudden hug, being careful of his healing wound.

Older Luke held him close, “You are extraordinary. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, okay? You have earned your own kindness too.”

_“Okay.”_ Young Luke sniffed, _“You'd better follow your own advice, then.”_

Older Luke broke the hug, standing up like a heavy burden had been lifted, “Better late than never, right?”

Young Luke laughed, “I'll show you! I'll love myself so much it will transfer to you in the future!”

Older Luke was finding himself misty-eyed as well. He didn't quite remember this exchange when he himself was Young Luke. The tiny shifts in the time frame must already be taking place. They existed within a sort of loop, where each Young Luke became the new Older Luke. Changes like this were no threat to the flow of time, but they are proof that time and space are not fixed in place. They can change, even if it isn't always a conscious choice by people.

Some change is good. That's what Older Luke told himself.

“Thank you.” Older Luke playfully messed up Young Luke's hair under the hat.

“Hey! Stop!” Young Luke laughed as he fixed his hair, readjusting his cap on his head.

Older Luke moved on to his parents next, “Mum. Dad.”

“Remember to show us that photo in the future.” Brenda wagged a finger at him, “And don't forget to brush your teeth.”

“Ugh, Muuum!” Luke tried to stifle a chuckle, “Don't embarrass me!”

He was elated on the inside, though. He feared he would cry again. He hadn't realized just how much he missed them. Too caught up in the Professor's murder, he supposed.

“Hey, Luke.” Clark firmly took his son's shoulder, “We love you more than words can describe. Remember that, okay?”

Luke nodded, accepting a big hug from both of them, _“I love you too.”_

He never felt safer than when he was in the arms of his mother and father. He welcomed the safe feeling after so long of being afraid. Finally, the fighting could end. He was home.

Luke took a sharp inhale as he stepped back, rubbing his eyes, “I'll see you later then?”

Young Luke beamed as he grasped his mother's hand, “Don't worry. We'll be okay.”

Older Luke matched his smile, “I know.”

Finally, he moved on to Past Layton. Future Layton was recovering back at base, so it was up to Luke to see him off.

He found himself emotional again, “Professor...”

Layton offered his own patient smile, “Tell me, Luke...whatever happened to Swift?”

Luke let out a hushed laugh, “It seems he got lost in time. I wonder if he created a paradox. It wouldn't surprise me with how carelessly he operated that machine.”

Layton could only imagine. That machine had been a nightmare for _him_ to navigate after all. And yet...the person who murdered him in his future didn't look like Swift. It was a man he'd never seen before, in fact. If Swift had intended to kill him, surely he would have been more careful? But then who ended up actually ending his life?

“Professor, Please.” Luke’s laugh this time was exasperated, “I can't explain everything to you just yet. I have to keep the time stream in mind, after all.”

“Right. Of course.” Layton still puzzled over it, though. Force of habit.

“I have no doubt you'll figure it out yourself anyway.” Luke messed with the buttons on his vest, “If I know you, at least.”

Layton watched as Luke's demeanor slowly shifted. From hopelessly optimistic to blank and unreadable to active despondency. One thing Layton had slowly come to realize was that, though he himself was the King in this metaphorical game of chess, Luke was the Queen. You may lose the game if you lose the King, but the Queen was the most powerful piece. The only one that could go anywhere on the board in all directions. The only one you could get back if you lost, and the only one you could have extra duplicates of if you were clever with your pawns.

Luke was the deciding factor in this timeline. He was the ultimatum, the start of the game and the one who brought it to its conclusion. He was the centerpiece, and the one most often caught in the crossfire. Instead of letting it totally cripple him, he had used his trauma to grow up into an effective leader, and despite how much his suffering had upset him, Layton couldn't be more proud of his apprentice.

“So...” Luke’s shoulders tensed as he looked away, “I guess...this is goodbye...?”

Layton shook his head, “No, Luke. This is ‘so long’, not ‘goodbye’.”

Luke let his hands fall to his sides, “Heh. I guess so. I just never imagined I would reach the end. It's an incredible feeling.”

Layton placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, “Well, you've done it. You got the happy ending that you wanted. Maybe sometime soon, it will start to feel real.”

Luke’s breaths became uneven. _Don't you dare cry. Swear to god, Triton, if you cry..._

He grabbed Layton it a tight embrace as he sobbed, too overwhelmed to do much of anything else.

“Hahaha. I feel ridiculous.” Luke pulled away to furiously wipe at his eyes, “I'm too old to be like this.”

“This is a simple, natural reaction.” Layton tipped his hat, “Never berate yourself for being human. Trust me, Luke. I am not looking forward to the rest of this catastrophe, but I'm glad that for you at least, it is over. Take care now, won't you?”

“Yes, of course.” Older Luke finally stepped back to lead them to the circle, “Ah, but before you go, I have a very special gift for little me.”

Once all five visitors from the past were in the circle, Older Luke pulled a chain from his pocket, connected to a small watch. The hands ticked on steadily.

“Put this around your neck.”

The chain was loose on Young Luke, so the watch face hung just above his waist. He lifted it up a bit to watch it tick, “What is it?”

“It's a quantum distangler.” Older Luke had another in his pocket, with visible signs of wear, “It will help you keep your memories while going back through time.”

Young Luke clicked the watch shut, “Will they remember too?”

Older Luke watched the adults with a pensive expression, “They will remember for the most part, but they will slowly lose their memories overtime. You will be the only one who remembers by the time this happens to you. When you become me.”

“And...” Young Luke dropped the watch to pull his bag closer, “There's nothing I can do to prevent it?”

Older Luke frowned, shaking his head, “I'm sorry. Trust me, I tried, but nothing worked. Chin up, though. We do save him in the end, remember?”

Young Luke sniffed as he smiled, _“Y-yeah...”_

Older Luke gave an approving nod before he left, the shadows of Big Ben covering him like on the day they met him.

“Remember yourselves.” his voice carried over the sound of the machine, “I know I will.”

Layton, Brenda, Clark, Claire, and Luke all huddled together as the the machine whirred to life, the wormhole opening and closing around them, the red-shifting turning them transparent enough for the light to seep through.

Once they had fully disappeared, Older Luke set the final detonator, near the stairs. Reaching into his pocket, he pressed the small button with his thumb. The pieces of the machine exploded, shaking the walls and floor. Luke forced himself to leave with a cool head.

The past would never change again. He wouldn't risk his happy ending for anything.

***

He still had one last thing he had to do. Held the photo in his hands, rubbing the edges between his fingers as he stood in front of his parent's house.

“Go on.” Claire had one arm around him, “You said you would do this, right?”

“Yes, I did.” he was still fidgeting, though.

“It's alright, Luke.” Layton was at his other side, giving him a patient smile, “I know Clark and Brenda. They will understand.”

Luke bowed his head, “I know.” he exhaled slowly, “Okay. Okay.”

He lifted his fist to the door and knocked on it three times. Who would it be? Doland or Clark?

Clark opened the door, looking disheveled and tired, “Luke? What are you doing here?”

His eyes landed on Layton. His hand went up to cover his mouth.

“Hershel?” Clark reached out to grab Layton's shoulder, “But that's impossible...you're...”

Layton touched the brim of his hat, “All will be made clear soon, Clark. It's good to see you again.”

Clark wiped a tear from his eye, “Luke...what happened?”

Luke handed him the photo, his arms stiff and heavy, “H-here...”

Clark took it from him, his eyes widening upon realizing what it was.

“I'm sorry I took so much money from you.” Luke stared at the ground, his hands back at his tie, “But I had to. I had to save the Professor from being murdered. Do you...do you forgive me?”

Clark’s grip on the photo tightened. He slowly dropped his arms. Then, he lurched forward to wrap his arms around his son.

“Maybe what you did was a little overkill...” he said, “But of course I forgive you. You’re my son, Luke. I love you.”

Luke hugged him back, softly crying in relief, _“I love you too, Dad.”_

Luke disappeared into the house, giving Layton and Claire a smile before the door separated them.

“Hm.” Claire adjusted her glasses, “I'd say that went well.”

“Indeed.” Layton led the way back down the sidewalk, “Well, it took five years, but I'm glad all of that is finally sorted.”

Claire laughed, “Another mystery solved, eh Hershel?”

Layton rubbed his forehead, “Claire, can I ask you to stop saying that every time I reach any type of solution?”

“But it's fun.” she took his arm, resting her head on his shoulder, “Don't lie. You like feeling brilliant.”

Layton smiled uneasily, scratching his ear as he averted his gaze. He couldn't believe how calm he was. Luke was safe, he was safe, and Claire fit perfectly into the crook of his arm. It was a happy ending that had truly been fought for.

“Well.” Layton shrugged, his hands in his pockets, “I suppose I can't argue with that.”

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on tumblr! (marshemillow.tumblr.com)


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